A Life for a Life
by AkaiyukiDaten-shi
Summary: How Portgas D. Ace is saved from certain death? By a girl named Yuki. "Watch" her as she grows up, meeting Ace when they are still kids, and then leaving Windmill Village and the mountain bandits for a life upon the seas. After the time skip coming in future chapters, Yuki find herself at Marineford and helps her friend Luffy attempt to save Ace. What will happen to them?
1. Luffy's Leaving?

**A Life for a Life**

**Chapter One**

**Luffy is Leaving Windmill Village?!**

One morning, Yuki woke to the sound of knocking outside her bedroom door. A loud voice, one she knew well, came through the locked door.

"Oi, Yuki! Ya gotta get up, we're leaving soon! Remember, today I get to finally leave the village!" the voice called, trying to wake her up.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll be down in a minute, Luffy. Go see if Makino brought us some breakfast, will you? It's so nice of her to take care of us," Yuki called in response. Makino had been taking care of them since Yuki's parents had left to become marines. She loved the two of them as if they were her own children.

"Fine," Luffy said, and ran down the stairs to the lower level. The clubhouse they had built together was impressive, filled with drawings and trinkets the Red-Hair Pirates had given to their little nakama. In specific, Shanks had gifted Luffy with a straw hat, making a promise to see him again one he became a great pirate. Shanks also had a gift for Yuki when he left. She had taken swordplay lessons from Shanks and his crew when they were in the village, and had received a beautiful katana.

To Yuki, Shanks was like a second father, and his crew were all her family. She missed them, and was sad that they had left for good. The last gift she had gotten from him, the katana, had been given to her only three days before. Luffy and Yuki had both cried when they left, but the two kids knew they would meet again.

Yuki dashed downstairs, having dressed in her favorite clothes. She always wore her black hoodie, and a pair of sweatpants, and today was no different. Her present for Luffy was framed and wrapped, tucked under her arm.

When Yuki reached the kitchen, there were two plates on the table. Luffy, who had always eaten more than she did, had the larger one, and was stuffing food in his mouth. He often choked on his food, and at those times, Yuki would hit him on the head, fixing the problem. This meal was no different.

"Luffy! You gotta stop eating so fast, I'm tired of saving you from choking," Yuki exclaimed. She let out a sigh of exasperation. "Really, just eat slowly. The food isn't going to go anywhere."

"I'll eat how I want!" Luffy said in return. He really didn't take orders from anyone except her and Shanks, and only occasionally.

"Fine, fine. One day, though, I won't be there and you'll drop dead from food. How will you like that?" Yuki said, defiantly.

"But I ate the Gomu Gomu fruit, remember? I'm stretching more every day! It won't be a problem soon!" Luffy replied. He had that big, silly grin that made Yuki feel happier. She couldn't stay mad at him when he smiled like that. It was just too funny.

"Fine, I hope, for your sake, you're right. Oh, and happy birthday," she told Luffy. Yuki laughed, bringing out the present for him. She handed it to him, and he looked so happy when he opened it. Inside was an embroidered mini pirate flag. It had a straw hat and looked like it was smiling.

Luffy grinned even bigger than before. "Awesome! This'll be the design for my pirate flag! It's gotta be!" He was so happy. "And I finally get to go outside the village now! This day is so great! Really!"

"Yeah," Yuki said. Just as she finished her food, she noticed a note on the table next to the jug of juice. She picked it up, and noticed it was from Makino. It said something about Luffy leaving, and that the two of them should visit her bar before leaving town.

"Luffy, Makino might have a present she wanted to give to you in person. Let's head down to her place," Yuki suggested. "She'll certainly have things to give you to help your exploration of the forest."

"Okay, let's go," Luffy agreed, and grabbed his precious hat.

"Give me a minute. I'll go get my katana," Yuki said, and she ran back upstairs, picking up both sword belt and her own precious gift. The hilt had three emeralds in a line, and they somehow flashed a reddish color, like her eyes. Yuki had green eyes that flashed red when she was fighting. The sheath was wood, framed with silver, and painted black. The Red-Hair Pirates had chosen an expensive gift, indeed.

After that, she grabbed her backpack, full of drawing tools and useful tools to adventurers. She planned to help Luffy explore the forest that day.

Luffy called to her, and Yuki ran down the stairs, rechecking her things. Everything was set and ready, so she went out the back door and met up with Luffy. They raced each other to Makino's bar, laughing the entire way.

When they arrived at Makino's, they were surprised to see Luffy's grandpa, Garp, there. Luffy ran and hid, while Yuki walked in, curious as to what was happening. Garp glanced down and saw the turquoise-haired girl and smiled. He had always liked her.

"Gramps, what's going on? Did you get another vacation?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, Yuki! How have you been? And yes, I did get a vacation. Had to see my grandson turn seven, you know. Now he can start his training," Garp replied. "Where is that boy, anyways? Isn't he always following you around?"

"I'm fine. Luffy saw you and hid. I think he's scared of you, after the training you made him do before. And what do you mean _now_ he can begin his training? Hasn't he?"

"Oh, no. That was just the basics, beginner stuff. Now he can really start to train! He'll be staying with a friend in the mountains," Garp explained to Yuki. She couldn't keep the shock off her face. Luffy was going away? He couldn't send Luffy away! They spent all of their time together.

"But... Luffy is coming back soon, right?" Yuki asked, reaching for her katana's hilt. Garp noticed the katana at that moment, and was suddenly angry.

"Where did you get that?!" he shouted. Yuki slinked back, hiding behind the counter. At the sound of Garp's shout, Makino came running in.

"Garp! What're you doing? You're scaring Yuki!" Makino exclaimed, surprised.

"You didn't tell me Red-Hair gave her a sword," Garp growled. He looked really angry, pretty much ready to rip Shanks to shreds. "And I suppose he gave Luffy something dangerous, too?"

"No! He gave Luffy his hat," Yuki spoke up, defending her friend. "And I've taken lessons from him. Shanks taught me how to handle a sword." She glared up at the old man, though she was incredibly terrified.

"He did, did he?" Garp mumbled quietly to himself. Then louder, "Well, the next time I see him, he's in for it. And I suppose you both want to be pirates now, right? I'm not going to let that happen! Luffy and you need to be separated, to teach you both a lesson. He'll be going to the mountains until he's ready to become a marine!" Garp finished by shouting out the last words. He didn't want his only grandson to be an enemy, much less the girl who was like a granddaughter.

"What?" Luffy said quietly. He was stunned into silence, which was near impossible for him to be. He just stood in the doorway, his mouth hanging open. Yuki rushed over to him, standing directly in front of him, like a shield.

Garp sighed. He hadn't meant to get that angry, but this had happened while he was away. If only he had been there, then maybe he could've prevented it, but what's done was done. He had, in truth, planned to leave Luffy to train under the care of Dadan and her mountain bandits before this discussion. It had come out wrong, as a punishment instead of a present. Garp was incredibly displeased with himself for losing control of his own emotions.

"Well, Luffy, let's go get your things. I suppose we should leave soon. Come-"

"No! I won't let you!" Garp was promptly cut off by Yuki.

"Sorry, Yuki, but you have no choice. You have to let him go," Makino said, trying to comfort him. "You can come with me to visit him in a month." She had hoped this would comfort the distressed child, but it only made it worse.

"Why? So I can see him turn on me? If it _is _training to be a marine, he might give up on being a pirate," Yuki said, unhappily.

Luffy, who had stayed silent until that moment, finally protested. "No way! I'd never turn on you, or think of being a marine! Remember the promise I made with Shanks?"

"Yeah, but..." Yuki trailed off. She knew, deep down, that Luffy would never give up on being a pirate. That gave her a little hope, a ray of silver light shining through the black darkness.

"Hey, the present you gave me was it's own promise between us, right? I said I'd use it as my flag, and I will!" Luffy told her. Until that point, Yuki hadn't realized she'd been crying. She wiped her tears away and hugged Luffy.

"The present you gave him? Don't tell me it was..." Garp said, surprised and angry all over again. "Luffy, show it to me. Now."

"No!"

"Luffy, show me the present!" Garp said, getting angrier.

Luffy, fearing for his life, pulled out the small flag. Garp took a look at it, and was suddenly sad. He took the flag and carefully ripped it in half. Luffy started to yell at his grandpa, enraged. He really did love that gift, and it meant more because Yuki had given it to him. Garp dropped the flag pieces on the ground, and picked up the still-fighting Luffy. He left the bar, leaving Yuki sitting on the ground, crying, and Makino hugging her.


	2. A New Arrival

**Chapter 2**

**A New Arrival**

Yuki studied her calendar. It was one day before Luffy's birthday, almost an entire year had passed since he left. Garp had returned shortly after he left, and Yuki was unhappy to see that he didn't bring Luffy back. Makino was on her side, and said that she had "properly disposed" of the present Yuki gave Luffy. Garp surprised her by saying that she could only visit Luffy on his birthday, forbidding her from going along with Makino on her trips. He probably hoped this would prevent their desire to become a pirate, but it didn't. It made hers grow.

She had kept to the hope that what Luffy had said to her was true, that he would become a pirate and use her design for his flag. That was the only option she had left that didn't make her feel depressed.

Yuki was going to become a pirate regardless of Luffy's choice. She only hoped he didn't choose to be a marine, because if he did, he would be going after her. She didn't think he would be able to cope with the fact that he would have to hunt her down and watch her die, ignoring the fact that she would have to hurt him badly to keep him from hunting her. Once Luffy made up his mind, he followed through, and no delays.

Yuki put those thoughts out of her mind for the moment and focused on getting ready for the next day. She was excited, and a bit scared of what Luffy would say to her.

Yuki searched for her survival kit and set it out, putting it next to the large bag had given her for her birthday. Her katana, which she had kept locked in the case on her room's wall, was retrieved from its place and gently set on the bed. After packing a week's worth of clothing, she felt she was ready to go, and went downstairs.

She fixed herself a lunchbox full of cream cheese wontons, her favorite snack, and ran out the door, heading for Makino's bar. The people in the town were friendly, as always, and gave her various little gifts, like rice balls or a new book. It saddened her to know she was leaving them, probably for good, the next day, but she knew she had to go.

Makino's bar, when Yuki arrived, stood tall, looking as neat and tidy as always. It cheered her up to see the familiar place, a place she had visited nearly all her life. She had basically lived there, spending some nights camped out in front, waiting to tell Makino something, or getting back really late from some adventure in the surrounding forest.

Yuki, being almost as tall as Makino, towered over the other boys her age at the bar. When she walked in whispers followed her. The girl who hung out with pirates. The girl who could flatten a boy in three seconds. Most of the boys were repelled by these rumors, most of which were true, but some were strangely attracted to her because of it. That day was, like always, full of boring love poems and the older boys wandering after her. No one interested her in the least, despite their efforts.

Yuki stalked up to Makino. That morning, she was in a foul mood, and made no attempts to hide it. Makino, who had acted as Yuki's and Luffy's mother for many years, could always tell there was something wrong. Today, Makino's guess as to what was wrong was spot-on.

"Ah, Yuki! I see you're in a bad mood. Does it have something to do with where you'll be going tomorrow?" Makino asked kindly. Yuki sat down on a stool and was handed a bottle of soda by the woman. Makino rested her hand on Yuki's shoulder, giving warm feelings to her adopted daughter.

"Yeah," Yuki grumbled. "I need to stay in the mountains with Luffy for good, but I don't want to leave the people in the village. They're my family, now. The adults took care of me many times..."

"Ah, so that's your problem. I figured it was something like that, so I arranged a farewell party for you later this evening. Even though Garp might not want you to stay with Luffy, I have no doubt that you'll find a way," Makino replied. True, Yuki _did_ feel better at the thought of a party with all her friends. "And I have surprise for you. It ought to brighten up your mood a bit. Luffy hasn't stopped talking about being a pirate. In fact, he's going on and on about being the Pirate King! Isn't that funny?"

"Really?!" Yuki was instantly happy. Luffy still wanted to be a pirate! She could relax, now that she knew. "So what's his life like? How's he been doing?"

"He's actually having fun. He met two other kids, three years older than he is. One was named Ace, and the other was Sabo. Something tragic happened recently, though. Luffy tried to make friends with the two of them, and ended up being tortured by some pirate crew near the big city, in Gray Terminal. He refused to give up the secret of where Ace and Sabo had hidden their treasure, and Luffy was nearly beaten to death!" Makino exclaimed, a sad look on her face.

"What?! Luffy's not okay?!" Yuki was shocked. She instantly wanted to run into the mountains, to find and protect her best friend and little brother.

"Calm down! He's okay now. Ace and Sabo saved him. Last time saw him, he was eating twice as much as usual, and he looked like he made a full recovery," Makino replied, calming her down.

"Oh. So, that's it? Are they friends now?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, they're all friends. They do everything together," Makino answered, smiling. Yuki was relieved that Luffy had found someone to follow around. He needed a friend, or he would get depressed and discouraged. She resolved to ask Ace and Sabo about how Luffy had been doing when she met them.

"Okay. Gramps will bring me there tomorrow, and I'll do my best to escape into the jungle, preparing to return to the place where Luffy is staying, but the next day, to be safe. I just hope my plan works," she explained to Makino.

"Your plans almost always work out. In any case, you always manage to accomplish your goal. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine." Makino was confident in Yuki's ability to make things happen. Yuki had an intelligent mind, and constantly managed to solve everyone's problems.

"Alright. I'll go back to the clubhouse. What time should I show up?" she asked.

"Oh, about sunset. We'll set off some fireworks at the beginning," Makino replied.

Once she had her answer, Yuki left, happy and joyful, in a much better mood than when she arrived. She had heard mostly good news about Luffy and his life in the mountains, and there was a party in her honor that evening. Everyone she cared about was there to see her off.

The only problem that the rest of the evening had was what she had least expected. Garp had arrived early, and nearly put the party to a halt. One he had found Yuki, they talked for a while. Garp explained his thoughts on the situation, and Yuki was excited to hear them.

"Okay, kid. I know you're probably planning to run off and hide once we get to where Luffy is. You and I both know that won't work," Garp explained. It was like he had read her mind. She was startled, and protested.

"But-" Garp cut her off, and surprised her again.

"_But_ you'll be allowed to stay with them. It's clear that there's nothing left for you in this village, and Luffy's already almost stronger than you. I think you could improve your battle skills more there than you can here, and you also look lonely. I feel bad that I made you stay here, but now we can fix it. Tomorrow you will be allowed to live in the mountains with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Don't say anything, just go to the party." As his explanation came to a close, Yuki was crying. Garp panicked, thinking he had said something wrong, but she reached up and gave him a big hug.

"I love you, Gramps," Yuki whispered. Once she wiped away her tears, she left him to join the festivities. The whole village was glad to hear she wouldn't be going against Garp, and partied all night long. Garp had to carry her and her things to the place the next morning.

The sun shone brightly, spreading warmth across Yuki's face. She was lying against a sun-warmed rock when she woke up. Garp held her little pack, standing in the middle of the clearing they were in. A voice drifted across the empty space, calling to Yuki. It was Luffy. They had arrived.


	3. Life in the Mountains

**Chapter Three**

**Life in the Mountains**

Luffy called her name, yelling across the clearing. She couldn't believe it, but there he was, running across the clearing at full speed. She almost thought her senses were deceiving her, but when he crashed into her, she knew it was real. Luffy was there.

Yuki untangled herself from Luffy, and stood up to dust herself off. That's when she noticed the two boys standing behind Luffy. One of them was laughing the other one was staring at her suspiciously. She knew they were probably Ace and Sabo, but which were which?

"Oi, Luffy! What're ya doing, knocking down a guest?" Suddenly, a large woman with orange hair appeared on the scene. She looked like a mountain bandit, but Yuki didn't think so, because Luffy hated mountain bandits. Anyway, it wasn't likely.

"Dadan! This is my friend, Yuki! Yuki, c'mon! Let's go to the house," Luffy said, pulling her along. Yuki was almost in tears from laughing. She had thought Luffy would change, but he was still the goofball she knew well. Everything was the same between them as it had been when he left.

"Alright, Luffy," Yuki agreed. "But can you introduce me to your friends? I want to thank them for taking care of ya!" Yuki smiled at the two other boys, who were discussing something secret.

"Oh, yeah! Ace, Sabo, come meet my friend Yuki!" Luffy waved the two of them over to where she was, and they looked a little uncomfortable. She guessed that they hadn't really talked to girls around her age much.

"Okay, so I'm Sabo," the blonde one with the top hat said. He gave her a big smile. Sabo seemed to really like other people.

"Yeah, I'm Ace," the other one said. He was slightly taller, and had black hair.

"Okay, guys, let's go eat now! I'm starving," Luffy exclaimed. He was always hungry, and everyone knew it. Garp laughed and Dadan glared at him. Apparently she had to cook the food that the three of them ate.

Just after Luffy spoke, Ace asked Yuki a question. "Do you want me to live?"

"Well, yeah. I have no reason not to, and you're Luffy's friend. Why?" Yuki responded to the question, puzzled at why he would ask such a thing.

"If there existed a child of the Pirate King's, would you want them to live?" he asked. Again, Yuki wondered why he would ask those things.

"Yeah, what reason would I have to want him dead?" Yuki replied, asking a question of her own. "It's not like he did what his father did. Even if I hated Gold Roger, which I don't, why would I blame the kid? It's not their fault." Ace seemed to relax at that response.

"I guess you're right," he said. "Sorry, I just had to know the answer."

"It's fine. No harm done, right?" Yuki said, trying to assure him it didn't bother her. Sabo looked at her happily. Apparently, she had answered correctly.

Garp sighed and shook his head. He had heard of many times where Ace had asked that question, and most of them ended up with Ace beating the crap out of the person who had answered. He knew Yuki would say what she did, but it had still made him nervous when Ace had asked.

Dadan spoke up. "Okay, you brats, if you want dinner other than rice, you'll have to go out and hunt something down. See you in an hour," she said aggressively. It was clear that she didn't want to do more work than was necessary, and Yuki guessed she had gotten no choice when Garp dropped off the boys.

Yuki caught up to Sabo. "Does this always happen?" she asked him.

"Yeah, we gotta get our own food. We even built our own treehouse, so we don't have to stay with Dadan and the mountain bandits. It's really great," Sabo told her.

"Did I hear you right? Luffy _hates_ mountain bandits! Ever since they insulted Shanks and dropped Luffy in the ocean, he's hated them!" Yuki was almost laughing. She hadn't expected that to be true.

"Yeah, you heard right," Sabo laughed hard. After he gasped for breath, he spoke again. "Wow, I didn't know he hated mountain bandits. It's funny, because he ended up being forced to live with them!"

"Yeah," Yuki agreed, chuckling. "I'll catch up with you later. I've gotta get something from Gramps. See you." Yuki said goodbye to them and ran back to where Garp was.

"Can I have Jigoku No Akaiyuki now?" Yuki asked him. Garp had a confused look on his face, and she realized that she hadn't told him the name of her katana yet. "Oh, sorry. That's my katana's name..."

"Oh, I got it now," he replied. Garp reached into a bag that he had filled with Yuki's things that morning. She noticed the hilt sticking out slightly, and wondered why Garp didn't grab it.

"Um, my katana is right on top, Gramps..." Yuki mumbled, trailing off.

"I know, but I have a charm for you," Garp replied. Pulling his arm out of the bag, she noticed his hand was clutching something. He handed it to her. "Hope it works for you!" It said "Be Safe" in a big script, and was marine colors. Yuki sighed, but tied it onto her belt anyways.

"Thanks, Gramps. Can I have my katana now?" Yuki was getting impatient as Luffy and the others were getting farther and farther away. She didn't want to lose their tack and not pull her wait in retrieving lunch.

"Alright, calm down," Garp replied, handing her the beautiful sword. Yuki thanked him and ran off, calling for the others to wait up. After Garp was sure the girl was out of earshot, he walked over to Dadan.

"Don't even think you'll be able to get out of this one. She's pretty self-sufficient, though, so you won't need to put a lot of work into taking care of her," he explained to the large woman. "Unlike the other two, she's pretty mature for her age. She almost the exact opposite of Luffy in that category."

"At least those brats will have someone else to look after them now. She know how to heal wounds with herbs, you said?" Dadan said. "It'll be nice having another girl up here in the mountains."

"Yeah, I figured you would think that. Make sure they turn into strong marine recruits, or I'll have your hide," Garp said. "I don't want to be fighting my only grandchild and his friends. That's make me feel bad!"

"You sure are soft, old man," Dadan said to him.

"Look who's talking. I know you don't act like it, but when Ace and the others leave, you'll be sad, won't you?" Garp laughed, knowing her response to this well.

"Yeah, right! As if I'd cry over them," Dadan scoffed.

"Well, I'll be off. I got a very short vacation this time, so I need to be getting back soon. I'll come back here in about a month to see how Yuki is settling in. Bye!" And with that last word, Garp walked back down the path to the little village he had been in the day before.

Yuki ran through the jungle behind the three boys. She hadn't had many chances to watch them fight, so she wasn't sure if they were very strong. When she had caught up to them, Ace and Sabo were impressed by her sword. She explained where she and Luffy got their precious possessions, and that shocked them even more to know Shanks was a big name pirate.

Yuki managed to get the biggest score on their hunting trip. She brought back a large boar all by herself, because she knew Luffy could've eaten almost all of it on his own.

Dinner was a feast. Since Yuki had gone back earlier than the others, she went back out to find vegetables and fruit for side dishes. With her wide knowledge of herbs and fungi, they had plenty of food for all of the mountain bandits, Yuki, Ace, Sabo, _and_ Luffy.

The next week followed that pattern. While Yuki was training in private, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were fighting each other in hand-to-hand combat. Luffy always lost, thanks to his Devil's Fruit powers, but even he was getting better. They got up, left the house, explored a little, caught and ate lunch, practiced their various skills, caught dinner, ate dinner, and finally went to sleep.

After the first week had passed, Sabo suggested that the boys show Yuki the Grey Terminal. Yuki was reluctant at first, but soon warmed up to the idea. Ace told her that the things in Grey Terminal were the things that the people living in the city had thrown out.

Yuki enjoyed spending time there, and on many occasions ventured into the outer rim of the city to sell healing herbs. She contributed half the profits she made to the boy's "Pirate Finances" and even designed a caravel* for each of them. (A caravel is a type of ship.)

All of the kids wanted to be a captain of their own crew, but worked together and fought together well. It would have been good, except for one morning when Ace, Sabo, and Luffy went to the city without Yuki.


	4. Sabo is Dead!

**Chapter Four**

**Sabo is Dead!**

Yuki had wanted to practice her swordsmanship the entire day, complaining about needing a break from boys. The boys went to a ramen shop, and someone called Sabo out when they ran away. It turned out that Sabo was the son of a nobleman, and Yuki went to see if she could've gotten into the upper level of the city, to spy.

Yuki was good at stealth missions, and often acted as a scout for the group. She had almost made it to Sabo's mansion when she was caught by guards and thrown into the stockade. Ace and the others were worried about her, but they got abducted in the Grey Terminal while trying to free her.

Sabo, who had been sent to his dad, heard about how the nobles planned to burn out Grey Terminal and all of the people who lived there. What scared him the most, though, was that they planned to release the prisoners right before they set fire to the place. He and the others knew Yuki had been captured. She would die!

Somehow, Sabo had gotten Yuki out of the prison before the set date, but he couldn't get out of the city to warn Ace and Luffy. Sabo and Yuki knew they would try to rescue them, so they continued to try and escape, hoping the others would come.

Ace paced in circles. He was nervous. Would the plan work? He had to cross his fingers and hope it would. Both Yuki and Sabo had been missing for over three days. It didn't look too good to him. Sabo had probably gotten back with his family, but what would the guards do to Yuki? Ace worried some more.

Luffy dragged Ace to the Grey Terminal that evening. The only problem, something the two kids didn't know, was that that night was the date of the burning. Yuki and Sabo were on the inside of a locked door, still trying to free themselves. Then the fire started.

Walls of flame rose in every direction, the heat forcing people to the very heart of the trash dump. Ace and Luffy were desperately trying to reach the wall of the city, but it was no good. They were caught in the trap, like two mice in a blazing maze.

Suddenly, a large burst of something invisible cut a path through the fire. The hot, charred ground was still smoking, but every person there would've rather get burnt feet than die, their skin licked by the flames, being blackened and turned to ash and dust.

Ace and Luffy were caught by the pirates Sabo's father had hired, though, and they couldn't escape. The pirate blamed them for not being allowed to flee the flame before, for not being let into the city. Ace desperately defended Luffy, and when he had collapsed, the person they least expected to see came bursting through the fire. Dadan rushed to their side, beating the pirates up with a heavy wooden club they had seen sitting in a corner of her house.

Two mountain bandits followed, retrieving the slightly battered and exhausted Luffy. Ace and Dadan stayed to prevent any of the pirate crew from following their nakama. The next morning, Ace and Dadan returned, though they were near death. Luffy was crying.

"Ace...!" Luffy sobbed.

"Hey, baka! Don't cry, I'm not dead, am I?" Ace said.

"No, but..." Luffy trailed off, still crying.

Ace bopped him on the head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. And we didn't see Yuki or Sabo anywhere, either, so you have nothing to worry about, little brother." Ace grinned from ear to ear, even though it hurt. He didn't want Luffy to worry about him or the others.

Luffy nodded in response, and wiped away his tears. What Ace said seemed to make him a lot happier. They ate their breakfast in silence, though. In truth, both of them were still worried about their friends.

Sabo and Yuki were crying. They knew that the others had been caught in the fire, because Yuki had scaled the wall and watched with a telescope. She had seen Luffy and the other mountain bandits leave, but not Ace and Dadan. She and Sabo feared the worst had come to be.

"Ace is tough. There's no way he and Dadan died. They were just... resting until morning. Or, or they left from a place I couldn't see..." Yuki said, trailing off. Her brain was betraying her, imagining scenes where Ace was lying on the ground, covered in burns. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll bet that's what happened," Sabo agreed, though it was clear he felt the same way she did. Miserable. Their friends were in trouble, and they couldn't lift a finger to help them.

While they were sitting in an alley crying, the rest of the city was getting ready for a visit from the tenryuubito (celestial dragons). The world nobles were, surprisingly, making an appearance the next day, and everyone was invited to watch. No one knew why they were coming, but no one cared about that. Everyone was eager to see them.

When the next day rolled around, Sabo made his escape. He had forgotten about the tenryuubito and set up his small fishing boat, leaving at the same time the others were arriving. One tenryuubito saw and ordered him blasted out of the water. Sabo died, and Yuki was watching, again helpless to do anything to stop it. She ran to the edge of the city, and the guards let her pass into the ash-filled Grey Terminal. Yuki ran all the way back to Dadan's house, heavy tears falling from her eyes, which had now turned red.

When she reached Dadan's house, she was relieved to see Luffy and Ace sitting on the grass outside. The boys, when they noticed her, got to their feet and tackled her, crying and yelling about her disappearance. Yuki was almost happy, until Ace scrambled backwards, seeing her face.

Ace looked at her in shock, staring, mouth open. Her eyes, which were usually a dark shade of green, had turned vibrant red. Luffy noticed, too, and ran to hug his unhappy friend. Ace just stood there, still surprised. When Yuki spoke, he was brought back to reality.

"You guys..." she said, crying again. "I hoped you were okay... but I have bad news."

"What? What is it?" Luffy asked. Just then, one of the mountain bandits returned, shouting something to them.

"Sabo is dead!" he yelled. Ace took a step forward, and then ran to the nearest tree, banging his head against the trunk and sobbing. He cried out, letting all around him hear the pain he was in.

"It's all my fault! I couldn't save him! I couldn't do a thing!" He wailed on and on, so Yuki got up from the ground and hugged him tightly, willing silently that he could stop punishing himself.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. Blame me, if anyone. I was there, and I couldn't lift a finger to help him." It was the second time she couldn't help those she loved, and just sat there, watching. It made her feel horrible, worse than the others around her. Misery engulfed her whole, gnawing at her mind.

"But, we were the older brothers! We were supposed to protect you two!" Ace said.

"No, it's okay. We'll protect Luffy together. We still have one person to look after, don't we?" she responded, trying to reassure him. "Let's make a promise."

"Well, I can't-" he began to say.

"No, you can. Together, we will protect each other, never turning our backs, never betraying one another. Promise me?" Yuki said, pushing him to accept, whether or not he felt like he couldn't protect anything.

"Fine, I accept," Ace replied. Luffy joined in, announcing his approval. "Sabo wanted to leave this country when he turned seventeen, because you became a citizen when you turn eighteen. We should all leave on our seventeenth birthday, okay?"

"Alright, I'm good with that," Yuki replied, grinning. "It gives me seven more years with both of you." After she said that, her eyes started to fade back to green. Ace, who had been watching them nearly the entire time, calmed down after that.

"Yosh! I'll do the same! Yuki, I'll leave a year after you, right?" Luffy chimed in, getting excited. "We still have a long time together, don't we?" All three of them smiled, fondly remembering the time they and Sabo had spent together. Those promises were, in their own way, a memorial to the nakama they had lost.


	5. The Departure

**SORRY! This chapter is a lot shorter than the other, but please bear with it! I will update more as soon as I can...  
**

**Chapter Five**

**The Departure**

For about a month, everyone was sad, moping around, not getting much done. It was even apparent with Luffy, he ate less than usual, leaving more for the others. It was as if their world had been painted with various shades of grey, depression heavy in the air.

Ace was the first to break out of the dismal spell and cheer up. He realized that Sabo wouldn't have wanted that, and would've wanted them to be happy. He tried to cheer up the others by bringing them extra meat, or giving Yuki flowers. Gradually, the others cheered up, bringing color back to their sad world.

Soon the three kids began trading in the city again, earning more money for their pirate funds. Yuki bought a few things, like a red and white bead bracelet for Ace. She told him it was in return for the flowers. Luffy got more meat.

Everything was back to normal. The only person missing was Sabo, and it still hurt to talk about him. They were getting back into the routine they had before the fire. It was calming to them all.

Yuki explored on her own one day, attempting to find a pet. She had wanted one for a while now, but had always put it off. She successfully found one, and tamed it.

The pet Yuki had chosen was a tiger cub, and she named it Kashi, because she found it under a large oak tree. Kashi was cautious of her at first, but quickly became comfortable with the girl. Animals had always loved Yuki, and this one was no different.

A few days after he started to follow her around, she went into town and bought a nice leather collar for Kashi. Since he refused to leave Yuki's side, the guards allowed him to enter with her, much to the displeasure of the citizens. Soon, they became inseparable, and Yuki even started to train Kashi.

Ace, Luffy, and Yuki trained every day, all the years they had together. They built a maze of walkways and paths through the canopy of the jungle, enjoying every minute they spent with eachother. By the time Ace turned seventeen, all three of them had become strong, protecting one another and working together. They were always with one another, playing games, hunting, or fighting.

On Ace's birthday, everyone was cheerful. Dadan had baked a cake, saying she wanted to eat cake that day, to hide her love for the "brats". Luffy and Yuki had presents for Ace. Yuki had made him a backpack to use on his travels, while Luffy had bought him a new hat, chosen by Ace himself.

They partied almost all day, and Ace set sail the next morning. It wasn't a very tearful farewell, because they all knew they would see each other eventually.

About a year later, the same thing happened to Yuki. It was her birthday, they partied a bit, and she got a new belt from Luffy. It was modeled after the one Ace had, only in black and the initial om the buckle was a "Y".

Yuki was taller, about 182 cm, and her hair had grown down to her waist. Her eyes hadn't changed much, but they were red whenever she fought. She carried Jigoku no Akaiyuki, her katana, at her waist, attached to the new belt Luffy had given her. She still wore a sweatshirt and long grey pants, but Yuki had bought new boots in the city. They were large, black leather.

Yuki decided to leave from Windmill village, so she and Luffy trekked down the mountains, using their treetop pathways to get there quickly. It was a fun journey, and the last one she would take with him for a while. The thought scared her and made her sad.

All of the villagers were there to see her off. She uncovered the small boat she had built long ago, and was pleased to see it was in perfect condition. Yuki hauled the boat out, with Luffy's help, then she and Kashi hopped in. The breeze filled her sails, and the tiny boat rushed away, packed with meat and fruit for her new journey.

All of the villagers waved goodbye until all they could see of the boat was a tiny speck in the distance, slowly disappearing. Sadly, they went back to their houses, knowing that was the last time they would get to see her smiling face.


	6. Finding a Crew

**Chapter Six**

**Finding a Crew**

Yuki was woken by her tiger, Kashi. He let out a low growl, alerting her that there was something wrong. She pulled down the blankets and gazed out into the sunlit world, and instantly shrank back into the warm and fuzzy pile. That brought another growl from Kashi, and she sighed heavily, getting back up again.

"What? What is it?" She asked. In response, Kashi nudged her and looked off to the north. Yuki gazed through the sunlight filtering down from the cloudy sky, and saw a dash of green above the sparkling ocean. Land?

"It must be the next island," she thought out loud. How long would it take to get there? And would they encounter any marines? She hoped that Garp wasn't going to visit Luffy that day. It would be chaotic for her, not even to think about what he would say when he found her _gone_. It had been very painful when Ace left. Poor Luffy...

Yuki's stomach growled, and she realized that Kashi was probably hungry, too. A minute later, they were both happily eating chunks of smoked meat from an alligator that she had killed before they left. It satisfied the two of them, and Yuki scanned the waters for ships resembling those which the marines used.

Nothing happened for a while. They reached the island safely, and Yuki was almost disappointed. She didn't know the island's name, but from the maps, she could tell that there was a city called Shell Town. Yuki wondered if she'd find some people to join her crew there.

She still hadn't decided what their pirate flag should be. The Tiger Pirates, because she had a tiger? Probably been done. Ace had gone with the Spade Pirate, and Luffy probably would end up with Straw Hat pirates. There wasn't anything about her that was very special. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Kashi, how do you like "The Snow Pirates" as a name?" she asked her tiger. He looked mildly interested, and she took that as one vote for yes. That was two out of two. They were the Snow Pirates.

Yuki took down the flag, which was plain and had no decor added to the skull and crossbones, to exchange it for the new one she had just painted. It was a pretty simple design, a skull with a red glow, surrounded by snowflakes. Easy to see from a distance, not likely to have been used before. She felt pleased with her art, which was unusual.

A few feet from the shore, she hopped out, dragging the boat up onto the sand. It wasn't really her habit to leave things important to her out in the open. She cut lots fronds off of a palm tree and carefully arranged them so it looked as if it was a shipwreck. It was a challenging task, because she had built that caravel herself, and made it pretty big, for one.

After the finishing touches, some seaweed strewn about, she headed off, using the map to find Shell Town. It was a pleasant walk, and she was kind of off balance. Of course, Kashi had followed her, since she hadn't told him to stay, so when they arrived in the town, many crowds parted to let them through.

Looking around, she went to a few shops and purchased changes of clothing, in addition to what she already had on the boat. A new collar made Kashi purr with delight, and they stopped to eat lunch at an outdoor cafè.

Ordering a bowl of water for her companion and a cake for herself, she pulled out a hunk of ham she had bought on her shopping spree. Tossing it to Kashi, she looked around again.

Scanning the crowds, she caught a pair of pale green eyes staring at her. They belonged to a small, thin girl, who looked younger than she probably was. Her hair was black with purple streaks, and very straight. She motioned for Yuki to follow, and then vanished.

Yuki hastily paid the bill and ran, Kashi still eating. She wasn't worried about him, though. He could track her scent, being a tiger, and was wearing a collar. In addition to that, he also knew to behave himself. Yuki had trained him well.

Running down a few alleys while following the girl, she bumped into a tall man with short green hair. He was carrying three swords at his waist, and wore a green belly warmer. He stopped her long enough to apologize.

"Sorry for bumping into you. Like your sword! Have a nice day!" he called.

"Oh, you too!" Yuki replied hastily, afraid of losing sight of the small girl. Once again, she was racing down the streets. Kashi had caught up to her, and he was enjoying the exercise.

Suddenly, the girl turned onto a street leading out of town. She wondered how far away they were going from her ship. As she ran past it, she didn't notice the tall marine base next to the path. It was lucky she didn't have a bounty yet.

Finally, the girl stopped next to a two-story house and went inside after waving for Yuki to follow again. Yuki briefly wondered if this was a trap, and her eyes turned red again. She rested her hand on her sword hilt.

Twisting the handle, she slowly pulled the door open.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd follow. I thought you looked a bit different than the others in town, having that big sword and a tiger and all that crap," the girl said. "My name's Bunny, but everyone in town calls me Nezumi. Guess it's because I'm so small and vicious."

"So, what did you want with me?" Yuki asked, looking her in the eyes. Bunny looked a little intimidated.

"Whoa, your eyes are red! I thought they were green..." she said, startled.

"My eyes change color when I'm nervous or excited. Basically, when my heart rate goes up. Now answer the question."

"Okay, okay. I thought you might be a pirate, and I wanted to join your crew. We've been wanting to join a pirate crew for a long time," she finally replied.

"Who's 'we'?" Yuki asked. As if they timed it, three more people came down the stairs. One was tall, and had beautiful dark skin, and the other two were average height. They smiled and introduced themselves.

"Yo, I'm Meimei. You can call me Mei for short. I love tailoring and designing clothes, but my real skills lie in throwing weapons. I'm deadly with shuriken," the dark-skinned one explained to Yuki. She seemed crazy, in a good way. Just like Yuki.

"I'm Akagane. I'm a pretty good writer and navigator, if I do say so myself..." the girl with short blonde hair said. She was wearing a plain sweatshirt and jeans, with the sleeves pushed up. She had a scar running up one arm, and Yuki wondered what from.

"I'm Chiame. I'm a great mechanic, and I like to fight with pistols. I'm a really great sharpshooter. Make me your nakama!" the third said. She had pale blue hair with bright red underneath. It made Yuki think of blood in water.

"Yeap. We all want to join your crew!" Bunny said. "Sorry about the suddenness, but I'm a pretty good judge of character. I think you'll like us!" She grinned, practically beaming.

"But why me? Can't you just form your own crew?" Yuki asked. She knew the answer already, thought. It was leadership skills.

"Our group doesn't have any leadership skills... the closest any one of us comes is Akagane with planning, and it's not very good either. Please take us?" Chiame replied.

"Oh, alright. I'm gonna regret this later, aren't I?" Yuki sighed, giving in. She wasn't sure, but Kashi liked them, sniffing them all and letting out purrs of happiness.

They packed their things and Yuki led them to her ship. "It still doesn't have a name yet. The figurehead was designed by copying Kashi, but I painted it white to fit the crew name. You've just joined the Snow Pirates. Welcome aboard!"


	7. The New Bounties

**Chapter Seven**

**New Bounties**

Yuki and her new crew set off, entertaining themselves by planning how they would do things. Yuki drew pictures of how she wanted things on the ship, and Chiame enjoyed building the creative things she came up with.

Kashi enjoyed their new nakama. He had gotten cuddled and pet much more often than when Yuki was around, and also was fed table scraps. Though he already liked the others, Yuki was the only owner for him. He still wouldn't listen to anyone else.

About three days passed by uneventfully. They were all bored, trying to think of some game they could play. Sadly, no one could think of anything else except card games, and so they ended up playing poker, betting their various chores that they had to do.

When the sun rose on the next day, Chiame and Bunny were in the crow's nest, and were playing a game of go fish. Looking around, Bunny saw a large marine battleship, and yelled down to the rest of the crew.

Yuki was suspicious. Why would there be a battleship in East Blue? Then a freakish thought occurred to her. If what she thought it was held true, they were in for a world of pain, and Yuki wanted to save her crew from that pain.

"Get inside, quickly. I'll tell you my reasons if we survive this..." she ordered. Her crew looked confused, but obeyed anyways. They were excited for a fight, but it looked like they weren't getting one.

When the battleship got closer, a stray marine spotted the little pirate ship and its, seemingly, only inhabitant. Yuki noticed that he ran off, probably to warn _that_ person. She had shivers down her spine, anticipating his reaction to this.

A tall figure walked up to the side of the huge ship. Yuki remembered her hood and tried to pull it over her face, but it was too late. He had already seen her, and there was a look of shock on his face.

"Y-Y-Yuki! What are you- why...?!" Garp stammered. He was rarely at a loss for words, but he definitely was now. He just gazed down at her, and to greet him, Yuki smiled sheepishly. Her crew were listening intently to the conversation.

"Hi, Gramps. Betcha didn't expect to see me here..." Yuki said to him. Garp's shock instantly turned to anger.

"You have any crew?" Garp was seething with rage. A person he considered to be his granddaughter had become a _pirate_, no less! "Done anything bad yet, _Yuki?_"

"No, I don't have a crew, and no, I haven't done anything bad. I'm sailing to _find_ a crew first. Then we can go on adventures," Yuki replied defiantly.

"Well, we're taking you back to Windmill Village. Now, get up here," he ordered.

"No. I'm not going back. I left with full knowledge that I might die out here, and I won't let that happen. I have to join up with Ace," Yuki told him. Garp sighed.

"Do you even know Ace's current bounty? It's 250,000,000 berry right now. He's joined the Whitebeard Pirates. You think you can catch up to him?" he asked her. She was happy for her friend.

"Well, I know I can! I beat Ace about half the time we had sparring matches. Don't you think I could?" Yuki replied, feeling angry at her grandfather for doubting her ability.

"Alright, if you won't come by will, I will take you back by force! I won't let my only granddaughter be a pirate while I'm still a marine! Be ready Yuki!" Garp yelled.

"Fine, I was hoping to avoid a fight with you, but so be it. You can come out now! We have to fight," Yuki called to her crew. As soon as the door opened, Kashi bounded out and stood proudly by his master's side. He knew what the word "fight" meant, and he was ready for it.

The other four walked out behind them, standing tall, ready to fight. Meimei had two large needles, thread attached, and was swinging them around in circles. Akagane had a huge wrench in one hand, and looked like a pretty formidable foe. They were on the left side of Yuki.

On her right side, Chiame and Bunny stood. Chiame, who was a sharpshooter, held a silver pistol that had special bullets in it. She could do all kinds of things with her skill, and Bunny looked fairly defenseless, but Yuki knew that wasn't true. She had an assortment of hidden daggers and shuriken on her person, hidden by a short cloak. They were ready.

"Alright, Gramps. I lied about not having a crew. Think you can take us?" Yuki said arrogantly. She knew this would make him angry, and he wouldn't stop the fight halfway through. He glared, then leaped into the air, coming down with a loud thump on the deck of the little caravel.

Yuki smiled at him, and ordered her friends to attack the battleship. It was going to be a fun fight. She knew the others weren't weak at all, from having sparred with them, and found it hard to beat them, but she could. In her mind, the captain had to be stronger than her crew.

Following her orders, the others leaped onto the battleship, attacking the surprised marines. They were strong enough to take down one to three at a time. Yuki felt very content with her crew, but a blow that barely missed her face brought her attention to the vice-admiral in front of her.

They fought fiercely, long past the time it took for her nakama to take over the marine battleship. Garp finally noticed that he had lost when his crew was defeated, and withdrew. He had a sad look on his face.

"Yo, vice-admiral! We didn't kill any of your crew for ya! That's only because we heard Sencho callin' you 'Gramps'. Be thankful," Chiame called to him. Garp looked mildly pleased to hear that, but then went back to being angry.

"You know I'll have to put a bounty on your heads, right? Yuki, I can't believe you held your own against me. You're getting strong," Garp called. He was proud and sad at the fact that Yuki was almost stronger than he was. "Just know I was going easy on you!"

"I didn't think you would use your full strength against me. That's what I was hoping to get from you. Oh, guys, tell Gramps your names if you want a bounty," Yuki replied. They all looked excited at the thought.

"I'm Chiame!" They all decided to say their names.

"Heyyy! This is Meimei here," Mei called up to Garp.

"Yeah, I'm Akagane. Nothin' special, just your average navigator."

"I'm Bunny, but most people call me 'nezumi'," Bunny said. They all looked positively glowing with happiness. They really must have wanted to prove their strength.

"Yuki, what about Kashi? I figure if he's naming us, why not _all_ of us?" Bunny quickly whispered to Yuki. Yuki nodded, and then told Garp her pet's name.

"Oh, and my tiger's name is Kashi. I tamed him in the mountains," Yuki yelled. "We are gonna leave now! Make sure you get a bounty put on us, we're dangerous. Oh, try not to give Luffy hell when you see him, even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to stop me or Ace from leaving."

"Fine, I'll just punish him for his own mischief," Garp agreed. "I guess this is goodbye for now, Yuki. I'm still sad about the bounties. You'll find out how much in a few days..." He really did look depressed, so Yuki jumped up and gave him a hug before they left.

"Hopefully, we won't have to fight again, Gramps," Yuki called, waving goodbye. She was also kind of sad, because she could never spend time with her grandfather again, but being with her new friends, her _nakama_, cheered her up.

A few days later, a news coo brought mail to them, like always. This time, though, they didn't get _just_ the mail. They got their own wanted posters from the news coo. Paging through them, Yuki found her own, set at eighty million berry. Only a little disappointed, she handed out the rest to her crewmates. Even Kashi had one, set at three million. Garp had not overestimated her companion.

Chiame's bounty was fifty million, and the others had bounties around that range, only varying by about one to five million. They were excited. Checking the other wanted posters, they found that they were the most wanted people in all of East Blue, the weakest sea of all.

It made them all very happy, so they partied all through the night, saying "Kanpai" and the like. Together, they would become great. Their crew's total bounty was two-hundred and ninety-three million berry.


	8. To The Grand Line

**Chapter Eight**

**To the Grand Line**

The Snow Pirates were finally set. Their crew's bounties were the highest ever recorded in East Blue's history, and that made Yuki really, really happy. The other nakama weren't unhappy either, and proceeded to have fun and fish.

The crew's final destination was the end of the Grand Line, the island of Raftel, and for Yuki to become one of the pirate emperors. Yuki wanted freedom, and so did her crew, but she knew it was Luffy's goal to become Pirate King, and she couldn't bring herself to crush his dreams.

Her crew wanted to visit the floating restaurant of Baratie before they left East Blue, so Yuki agreed and set a course for the famous sea restaurant. Mei had made a new sail for their ship, and it was less full of holes than the last one, which had lasted over a decade. Yuki had built this ship when she was eight, so it had been hers for a long time.

The trip took about three days, but it was worth it. They made it to the restaurant, and the smell of delicious food filled the air when they docked. On their way, they had stolen plenty of money from marines, and could buy any dish they wanted with the money.

Their server was a tall chef with curly eyebrows and blonde hair covering one eye, wearing a nice black suit. He kindly directed them over to a table, practically drooling over them. Yuki assumed he was a lady's man, but she was still happy to be shown some chivalry. Her carrying a sword had made her a target of most drunken guys, even if they didn't know she had a high bounty.

Her crew had experienced the same problems, being all girls, but for many different reasons. They looked relieved, too, to see a nice, polite man instead of some rough and rowdy drunk.

After eating, Yuki wondered what the server's name was. He looked like he really cared about what they thought of the food, and was careful to ask if anything needed to be done.

"What's your name?" Yuki asked the server.

"Oh, it's Sanji, and what might be your name, fair maiden?" Sanji replied.

"Oh, I'm Yuki," she said. Quite a few people looked up with frightened faces. She smiled kindly at each and every one of them. A collective shiver went through the diners, and she turned back to Sanji.

"You're that pirate, let's see..." Sanji said trying to remember.

"Yeah, Yuki, captain of the Snow Pirates. I haven't payed attention to what title they gave me. Do you know?" she asked him.

"Yeah, you were Red... Snow... Yuki..." he said. A look of awe was on his face for a second, but he quickly regained his cool. "And I assume these other fine ladies are your crewmates?"

"Oh, we are," Bunny said. "Girls, let's tell him our names. I'm Bunny!"

"Yo, I'm Meimei. People call me Mei for short."

"Hey, I'm just doing my own thing, and you include me in the conversation! That is so like you guys. Fine, I'm Akagane," she said, slightly annoyed.

"I'm Chiame. Do you know _my_ title?"

They finished, and then Kashi lifted his head and let out a growl. "Oh, and this is my companion, Kashi. Be nice to him, Kashi. He's not bad," Yuki said.

Sanji nodded, taking it all in. "So, you girls are 'Red Snow' Yuki, 'Dark' Bunny, 'Stitches' Meimei, 'Silver' Akagane, and 'Eagle Eye' Chiame. Whoa, nice names."

"Yeah, we're gonna head to the Grand Line next. We'll have to stop at Loguetown, though, so we'd better get going soon. Hey, I have a little brother who might come here in about a year, so watch out for him, 'kay? He's kind of troublesome. His name's Luffy, and he _loves_ food," Yuki said.

"Okay, I'll try," Sanji replied. "Bye, hope you can make it to your goal!" Sanji waved as the crew left. A year later, he would think that it was fate that they met.

Once they arrived at Loguetown, they separated, going off to shop. Mei went over to plenty of clothing and fabric stores, picking and choosing her favorite things, while Chiame and Bunny went to weapon shops to get new weapons for special attacks.

Akagane went to hardware stores and art stores to restock the selection of activities the crew could do when they were sailing. She also bought tools to repair the ship with, and did her best to find the good quality things.

Yuki, totally abandoning the idea of shopping for luxury items, went to look for a log pose. She knew they'd need it for the first half of the Grand Line, or they'd get lost. After she finally found one, she went to explore the city.

Sitting on a roof, she glanced around. There were always marine bases in big cities, so she wanted to know how to avoid them. There were many different shops, and she spotted a few residential areas. The marine base was nearer to the shore than she had thought, and there were no guards near the famous execution platform.

It was time for them to go. There were no clouds, it was mid-morning, and warm breezy gusts would fill their sails. If they wanted to get up reverse mountain, now would be best.

Taking a big breath in, she blew on a whistle. She had already arranged with her crew, before they got off the ship, that when they heard the whistle, they would go back to the ship as soon as they could.

The whistle was loud enough to alert everyone in the city, if they were paying attention, so Yuki hoped the marines didn't care about it. For now, they would only get one shot at this perfect weather.

Once everyone was back on the ship, they set off. No one had been caught by the marines, or even noticed. Luck was on their side as the Snow Pirates sailed up to the Red Line, finding the entrance to Reverse Mountain. It was wonderful.

Aiming the ship carefully, they began their ascent. The water, which was flowing up, towards the top of the mountain, caught their ship with ease, guiding them safely on their journey to the greatest ocean in the world.

At the very top of the mountain, their ship turned and plunged down the steep slope, the salty sea spraying up around the little caravel. The wind was rushing past them, taking their hopes and dreams, giving them all the belief that they _could_ do it, that they could achieve what they were wishing for.

Finally , they reached the calm water below. On a ledge next to the opening, a small lighthouse stood. The Snow Pirates sailed around and docked, curious as to who lived on the small ledge. A tall, old man came out of the lighthouse and smiled at them.

"Welcome to the Grand Line."


	9. The New World

**Chapter Nine**

**The New World**

About a year had passed since the Snow Pirates reached the Grand Line. They had added three more crew members, and were eager to go to the second half of the Grand Line, the New World.

The crew had made it passed countless challenges, finding lost treasure, robbing the marines, and even seeing Sky Island. The marines had been forced to raise the bounty on the crewmates, and Yuki had loved every time. By the time they had reached Shabondy Archipelago, the crew's collective bounty was well over five hundred berry.

Yuki's own bounty had risen to 400 million berry, while each of her nakama had an immense bounty over 100 million. The Snow Pirates were making a name for themselves. Yuki's full name, Ichinose D. Yuki, was in the headlines often enough. Red Snow Yuki was shaking the world with her band of misfit pirates.

At Shabondy Archipelago, she babysat their ship, which they had named Fallen Angel's Wings. The Snow Pirates' previous ship, Dusky Blossom, had been destroyed by the marines, and the crew almost didn't make it. That was about a week after the Neko Neko no Mi.

One of their explorations of a deserted island led to Yuki's discovery of a devil's fruit in a huge castle, which was equally deserted. She ate it, even though she didn't know what kind it was, and was surprised to find it had made her a cat person.

The Neko Neko no Mi she had eaten was similar to Asra's powers. Asra, one of the newer Snow Pirates, had eaten a devil's fruit before joining the crew. It was the Kitsune Kitsune no Mi, causing her to be a fox person. She and Yuki had similar in abilities, and Asra used two daggers to fight.

The other new crew members were Ema, Mizuki, and Sora. It was pure coincidence that their crew only had girls. No man had wanted to join them, so they just accepted it. All of their lives had a similar start. Everyone was an outcast, only had a few friends, wanted to have freedom and fun. Their journeys were always enjoyable.

* * *

After a meeting with Raleigh, their ship was coated and they left for Mermaid Island as soon as they could. Raleigh was kind to them, and wanted Yuki to say hello to Shanks for him. He and the crew got along well.

Bunny and Chiame were amazed by the underwater scenery, but the others didn't really care. It was another ocean, and aside from a few beautiful fish, noting sparked their interest. Their journey was swift and easy, and they made it to the island without any delay or problems.

The arrival and check in was also quick, and they wandered around for a few days, sightseeing and lounging about. The places they went for meals served the very best, and the shops had good things. It was very calm, peaceful, almost.

After restocking their supplies, they left the island, still with no problems. Yuki and the others got bored, so they were wishing for a fight. On the other side of the Red Line, they got just what they wished for.

A huge marine battleship was positioned in front of the Fallen. All of the crew were very excited, and practically jumped for joy when they heard it was a vice-admiral. All of them except for Yuki.

"It's Garp again! Yuki, are ya gonna sit this one out?" Chiame called. All of the crew looked at her, the same question on their faces.

"No, he'll be coming at us with all his strength. I might be able to hold him off while you defeat the crew. He knows that if his crew is defeated, the battle is lost. Let's make Gramps regret facing us!" Yuki finally called. The others' morale was instantly boosted, and they launched themselves on to the enemy ship, ready to fight.

Yuki sighed, standing up. She didn't want to fight Garp again, she only needed to fight him once before, so why did he come back? She knew it had hurt him as much at it hurt her.

"Yuki! Where are you?" Garp called angrily.

"Down here, Gramps!" Yuki called back.

"You've been a bad, bad girl! Enough to warrant an execution if you're captured. I'm just sorry I couldn't keep you from being a pirate!" he yelled. "I'll take care of you, so you don't have to suffer at the hands of a stranger!"

"No way, Gramps. I'm not letting that happen. I still gotta see Shanks and Ace, not to mention finding out Luffy's bounty. It's been a year, he should've left by now!" Yuki said. She _did_ have too much to live for. Luffy's bounty... what could it be?

Garp leaped down from his perch, swinging his fist at Yuki as he landed. A few hits back and forth, all dodged or blocked, and they started getting warmed up. Yuki shifted to a cat halfway, then stopped. Her reflexes got sharper, all of her senses heightened. Garp looked surprised. He hadn't expected a devil's fruit ability.

"What fruit?" Garp asked.

"Neko Neko no Mi," she replied.

"Ah."

Again, there was a round of quick blows, most missing. Yuki finally got a hit, but it left her open, and Garp managed to punch her in the stomach. Slightly winded, she managed to defend herself until she got her breath back, but Garp only got quicker. She managed to match his speed, but if he got faster... she didn't want to think about it.

"You guys done yet?!" she yelled to her crew.

"Almost!" Ema replied.

"Well, hurry up! If Gramps gets any faster, he'll catch me!" she yelled desperately.

Garp, hearing this, tried to speed up even more, but Kashi, who had become full grown, bit his leg and slowed him down. Yuki shot her companion a grateful look and continued to fight.

"We're done! His crew is down!" Mizuki called.

"Yeah, we won, so let's scram," Asra said. The rest of the crew cheered, happy that they beat the marines. Leaping back to the ship, all of them surrounding Yuki and Garp.

Yuki looked her grandfather in the eye, glaring. "I might not be able to beat you yet, but someday I will. Wait for that day. I'll stay free until then." She was confident that she could beat him eventually.

"Well, then I'll do my best to capture you before then," Garp replied, fuming with new anger over her defiance. Pulling out of the battle, he went back to his battleship. The few members of his crew who weren't badly injured or unconscious helped him sail the ship away from the pirates.

The pirates were tired, and when the battleship was the size of an ant, they all collapsed on the deck. Happy banter back and forth between crewmates while they rested, the happiness they shared with the marines' defeat was sweet.


	10. Red Haired Pirates

**Chapter Ten**

**Red Haired Pirates**

Venturing from island to island with their New World log pose, one that has three needles, life was entertaining. Yuki was searching for Shanks and his crew, also trying to find Ace. She knew by then that Ace was with the Whitebeard pirates, but that only made it harder to find him.

Not many people had information about the Whitebeard pirates, and even if they did have any, no one wanted to give it to another pirate crew who was possibly after his head. It was troublesome, but they kept on searching, hoping to find Yuki's friend.

Finally, on the fourth island the Snow pirates reached, they found one of the groups they were looking for. The flag of the Red Haired pirates was flying high, and the island had a galleon anchored in slightly off the shore. Three longboats were resting gently on the beach, just high enough so that they wouldn't be swept away by high tides.

Yuki looked down at her crew, from the crow's nest where she stood. "You guys had better behave yourselves until Shanks knows I'm captain, 'kay? If you don't, I can't really guarantee your safety. His crew are fiercely loyal to him," she warned. "Those who can't do that, stay aboard the ship."

All of her nakama looked slightly startled, but got ready to disembark. The island was a summer island, so there wasn't a sign of cold anywhere. Yuki grabbed the katana Shanks had given her when he left, attaching it to her belt. Once everyone was ready, they left the ship, and not even Kashi stayed behind.

Lazing about in the jungle near the beach, Shanks was sitting under an umbrella, chatting with his own nakama. He had recently received the updated wanted posters of both his little friends from Windmill Village.

Fond memories filled his head whenever he looked at their pictures. The time when Luffy had to be saved from mountain bandits, and he lost his arm... well, it was worth it. He had made a bet on the two of them, and so far, they exceeded his expectations. Shanks couldn't wait to see the two of them again.

What had surprised him the most was when Portgas D. Ace, an impressive rookie, had come to visit him about a year ago. He had claimed he was Luffy's brother, and had wanted to thank him for saving Luffy's life. He also talked about Yuki, and how she had grown into a beauty. That always made Shanks laugh.

True, he could believe it, when looking at her picture, but not when he thought back to years ago, when she was just a little kid. She was adorable, and always got angry when someone hurt her friends. She was like Luffy and Ace combined. Cold to those people she disliked, but warm and friendly to everyone else. She was smart, and liked to protect things important to her.

Recently, he had heard rumors about another super rookie like Ace. It was a female pirate who showed no mercy in cutting down enemies, but wouldn't really hurt the marine vice-admiral Garp. Rumor also had it that she had reached the New World with almost no problems, and a crew of only a handful of people. Shanks had a feeling it was Yuki.

Pouring himself another cup of sake, he looked around at his crew. Just as he was about to relax again, one of the newer members ran into the clearing, shouting about some pirates who had just arrived. Shanks and his crew became alert, waiting for what would happen next. Would there be a fight?

Walking into the jungle, the Snow pirates found a beaten path that looked fresh, as if someone had been through there just a minute ago. Yuki guessed someone had been on watch, and had seen them coming. She prepared herself for a fight as she walked into the large clearing.

Sitting on the log closest to the entry was Shanks and Yasopp. Yasopp had a pistol out and pointed at Yuki, until he realized who it was. A startled look appeared on the more senior crew members' faces. They weren't expecting her.

Walking up to Shanks, she held out her hand. "Long time no see, huh?" Yuki said, smiling. Shanks took her hand and stood up, pulling her into a hug.

"How's my favorite little girl, huh? I heard you were doing great. Are you that super rookie everyone talks about?" Shanks asked her. Yuki stepped back, laughing.

"I'm hardly a little girl anymore," she said, in between laughs. "These guys behind me are my crew. They can really pull through when you need 'em to." She stepped to the side, revealing her nakama to Shanks and his crew.

"Alright, now who do we have here?" Benn Beckman asked. "Looks like you've got yourself some good friends, Yuki."

"Yeah, nice to meet you. We help her out," Mizuki said, walking up to him. "I'm 'Silver Fire' Mizuki. You're Benn Beckman, right?"

"Yes," he replied. He held out a hand, smiling. "Mizuki's a nice name, too. Please take care of our friend." Mizuki shook his hand, and then Benn stepped back, still smiling. Yuki was surprised, because she had never seen him smile that much.

The rest of the crew introduced themselves, and they were soon talking with their own counterparts, like Yasopp and Chiame, who were both sharpshooters. All of them were discussing techniques and different ways to do things, so Yuki went and sat down next to Shanks, feeling left out.

"Shanks, aren't there things you might be able to tell me about, like tips on how to be a better captain?" Yuki asked him. Shanks smiled, and Yuki instantly knew what he was going to say.

"Tips? No, you're your own person. Gotta find your own way, you know? I can help you with something, though. You haven't learned how to use Haki yet, have you?" Shanks replied happily. Yuki was confused. She didn't know what that was. Haki was something she hadn't heard of before.

"Haki? What's that?" she asked.

"Haki is a power that lies dormant in all the world's creatures. It can be used against logia users, who normally wouldn't be affected by your attacks. There are three types, and one of them you either have or you don't. Understand?" Shanks explained. Yuki nodded, so he went on.

"The three types of Haki are "Presence", "Fighting Spirit", and "Intimidation", which you use for different things. Most people don't awaken their Haki at all, and intense training or an emotional shock are usually required to awaken it. Intimidation is a power you may or may not have, because very few people actually _do_ have it. I think you do, and I certainly do. I can train you for a few weeks, seeing as we're gonna stay here for about that long."

"Really? You can?" Yuki asked, excited. She learned quickly, so this might not take that long. It was something she wanted to master, because it seemed useful for her to protect her crew with.

"Sure, but don't expect to get very far. It takes a long time to learn," Shanks advised. Yuki wasn't worried. She was a fast learner.


	11. Marineford's Declaration Of War

**Chapter Eleven**

**Marineford's Declaration Of War**

Yuki and her crew were taught Haki by the Red Haired pirates, but were left to work on it alone. After three weeks, Shanks and his crew pulled out, moving to a different island. They had to keep island-hopping or they would've been discovered by enemies, so after a heartfelt farewell, Shanks and the other left them to continue their training.

_A year later..._

Yuki and her crew were good enough to challenge one of the four pirate emperors, but they never did. It was just enough for them to be allowed to sail freely upon the seas, enjoying the time spent together.

Many encounters with the marines all over the New World made them strong, but the crew didn't go looking for trouble, surprisingly enough. They did, however, encounter Yuki's grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, many more times.

Garp seemed determined to capture his adopted granddaughter before someone else did. He fought them at least once a month, and Yuki got enough combat practice to keep up with his speed. She was more than a match for him by the time _that_ newspaper came out.

* * *

"Oi, Yuki! Look at this," Akagane called. She handed the newspaper over to Yuki, who saw the front page headline. It read "_Fire Fist" Ace Captured_. Yuki went deathly pale. This couldn't be happening.

"Here, I'll read it out loud," Chiame said. "Fire Fist Ace had been hunting down a traitor to the Whitebeard pirates, Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard. This person, Blackbeard, captured the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates two days ago, and has become a Shichibukai."

"Wait, I don't want to hear any more!" Yuki shouted.

Chiame continued. "Portgas D. Ace's _execution_ has been scheduled for a week from now, at 3:00 pm. It will take place at Marineford, and many people think the execution is a declaration of war against the Whitebeard pirates."

Yuki was angry. Calm on the outside, but a hurricane of anger on the inside. Careful not to make the other suspicious, she picked up the paper and went to her room. Her crew wasn't fooled by the act, and waited nervously.

* * *

"Akagane, set a course for Marineford. We have to get there before the seven days are up. Chiame, you and Asra check the weapons. Everyone else, prepare yourselves. We are going to attack Marine H.Q." Yuki was fuming.

Everyone rushed to carry out the captain's orders. Mizuki didn't have anything to do, so she just stood next to her stressed out friend, waiting to see if she needed help.

"Mizuki," Yuki said.

"Yes?" Mizuki was nervous. What would Yuki ask her to do?

"Can you plan a funeral?"

Mizuki was scared. What did Yuki plan on doing? "Why?"

"In case the worst happens, I want it to be fun. Not a gloomy occasion. Maybe a pillow fight, or some delicious food. Fun music, too. Nothing sad, people are forbidden to wear black unless absolutely necessary. Not that I'm planning on dying! I'm still way too young to die, and besides, I can probably defeat an admiral by now," Yuki replied.

"Geez, you scared me. I thought you _were_ planning on dying. Don't do that to me, or I might just take you seriously," Mizuki said. Yuki smiled mischievously.

Full of relief, she went off to do as Yuki asked. It wasn't one of her plans she wanted to carry out. Happiness forced its way back into the crew, and everyone was feeling confident that they could save Ace.


	12. The War of the Great - Part One

**Chapter Twelve**

**The War of the Great**

The Snow Pirates made it to Marineford just before the battle started. Their ship was left anchored near the immense gates that let people in and out of Marineford, the crew hijacking a marine battleship so they could get inside.

The entire operation went very smoothly, all because the vice-admiral who was on board that ship was weaker than Vice-Admiral Garp. As quick as they could, they gained the access necessary to enter, and were docked. No one came aboard the ship, which was fortunate for the crew.

Sitting and waiting felt like an eternity. Yuki paced in circles below deck, in case some stray marine were to spot them. Mizuki and Asra played poker with Akagane and Chiame, while Bunny and Meimei went over designs for matching crew uniforms.

Yuki looked at her watch. It was before noon, too early to start. She was sure that Whitebeard would show up around noon, if not before, but she didn't have the patience to wait until then.

Chiame agreed to be a scout for them, and pulled on an all-black outfit, complete with a grappling hook. Arming herself with two pistols and a whole lot of bullets, she left to go scout out safe and strategically important areas.

Yuki, who couldn't stay put past ten minutes after Chiame left, shifted to full cat form.

"I'm going out," Yuki meowed to the remaining crew.

"Yuki! You've gotta be patient, Whitebeard will show up soon enough." Akagane scolded her captain. She knew it wouldn't be good if Yuki went out there alone. Calling to Kashi, Yuki's tiger and companion, she whispered orders to the large cat.

"Kashi, protect Yuki and don't let her do anything stupid. If she looks like she's going to fight someone, bring her back immediately. Got it?" she whispered.

Kashi nodded, because he really did understand. He also wanted to keep his kind master out of harm's way. Yuki motioned for Kashi to follow, and left.

* * *

Chiame was almost to the execution area when bubbles appeared on the sea's waves. She knew it wasn't seafoam, which popped up nearly everywhere. It had a different quality to it, and she remembered what Yuki had said to her.

"_We don't know how Whitebeard will appear. Be on your guard for anything that looks suspicious." _Yuki was right. Those bubbles _did_ look suspicious.

"I wonder..." Watching the sea more closely now, Chiame saw even _more_ bubbles. Rising to the surface, they popped as soon as they touched open air. Suddenly, she realized what it meant.

The ships were underwater, and about to surface. Waiting for another three minutes, she sat, hidden in the shadows, until the first ship ascended. There was a loud popping noise when the fully coated ship surfaced, and then two more ships did the same.

Suddenly, the sea was _full_ of pirate ships. All of the ships had come out, and there were over twenty, no, thirty ships! Chiame was amazed.

Rushing back to the ship, she tried to alert the rest of the crew, only to find that Yuki had been out as well. Sighing, she went back to getting ready to fight, picking up her favorite rifle and slinging it over her back.

* * *

"I hope my precious son if safe," Whitebeard exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. Ace, who was chained to the execution platform, looked about ready to cry, both from joy and regret. He hadn't wanted any of his friends or family to get hurt coming to his rescue.

Whitebeard slammed his fist against an invisible wall, creating a tsunami using his devil's fruit ability. The Tremor Tremor fruit was something that he used only when needed, because his own strength was usually enough to do whatever he had in mind. He was considered the strongest man for a reason.

Admiral Aokiji promptly froze the wave Whitebeard had created. The battle started, spread across the frozen ocean below them. Pirates against marines, will against will, the two groups both battled fiercely over one person.

Then, Admiral Sengoku announced who Ace's father was. The reaction from those fighting was like none seen before. Everyone, even the most battle-hungry people, stopped fighting for a few seconds. There was silence.

* * *

Yuki led the crew to the very center of the battleground, cutting a swath of destruction through the fighters. The more powerful people on the battleground noticed, especially Whitebeard's men.

Calling Marco over, Whitebeard gave him an order. "Watch them. They may be our enemy, they may be our ally. Be cautious around those brats," he said. Marco nodded and flew off, using his devil's fruit ability to reach the Snow pirates.

"Yo, who's the captain of your crew?" Marco asked Chiame.

"Huh? Why?" she responded.

"I want to ask her something!" he shouted to the sharpshooter. Chiame nodded towards Yuki, smiling. Yuki was taking on five enemies with no problem, leaving deep gashes on them with her katana. Marco thanked her and few over to Yuki.

"You the captain?"

"Depends on who you ask, but I _did_ start this crew, and everyone listens to me. What do you want? Are you with the Whitebeard pirates?" Yuki replied. Marco sighed.

"Yeah, I am. 1st Division Commander, Marco. What are you here for?"

"To rescue Ace, obviously. I'll go talk to Whitebeard in a minute, so tell him that. I need to concentrate on what I'm doing if I want to get this move right," she told him. Yuki spun her sword by the cloth wrapped around the hilt. Suddenly. she launched the sword straight ahead, slicing halfway through an arm of the marine in front of her.

"You're vicious." He said that as if it were a fact.

"No, just angry," Yuki told him. "You would be too if your best friend whom you grew up with was about to be executed. Damn, still off by a bit."

"Wait, you're _that_ Yuki? Ace told us about you," Marco said.

"Go back to Whitebeard already!" Yuki shouted at him. Marco looked surprised as he flew away, blue flames fanning out behind him. Yuki was more pissed off than before. She hadn't guessed that the 1st Division Commander was so nosy.

Just as she had said, she cut her way through the enemy forces and reached the ship Whitebeard was on. She wasn't really looking forward to it, but she had to visit him anyways. Might as well get it over with.

Leaping onto the deck, she bowed to the tall, muscular man. "Pardon me, good sir, but perhaps you could spare a moment to talk with the likes of me?"

This received a hearty laugh. At least she knew he had a good sense of humor now. Standing up straight, she smiled at him. Smiling was thought to be an ancient form of baring your teeth.

"Well, brat? What do you have to say to me?" Whitebeard asked her.

"Three things. One, we are not your enemy. Two, we wish to save Ace at all costs. Three, I don't hesitate to hurt those who hurt my nakama. You hurt my friends, I retaliate. That's all, and don't expect any changes," Yuki replied, explaining her intentions.

"Interesting. Fine, just don't hold us back," he said. Noticing her katana, he had remembered a story Ace told him once about a girl he had grown up with, and was incredibly fond of. She carried around a katana she had received from Shanks, and loved nothing more than spending time with her friends.

"You. Did you say you grew up with Ace?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Yuki asked in return.

"Nothing. Go away, save your friend," he said. She looked at him strangely, then sighed. It wasn't nearly as annoying as she thought it would be.

"Well, it really was entertaining to talk with you, good sir, but I must take leave," she told him. Doing another little bow, she turned around. "Have fun doing whatever! Ta ta!"

As Yuki left, Whitebeard couldn't help but think of what a strange girl she was. She had been both polite and rude to him, and wasn't even a bit frightened. He thought that the brat might turn out to be interesting.

* * *

Laughing, Yuki pushed her way through enemy after enemy. It was easy fight the small fry, so she didn't even bother drawing her sword.

"This is great! Mizuki, how're you doing?" she yelled. Mizuki was helping her out, fighting those few marines who dared try a sneak attack.

Mizuki at a devil's fruit that gave her a power similar to Ace's, but only silver fire. The Hikari Hikari no Mi was something they had acquired on their travels, and Mizuki, being the pyromaniac that she was, volunteered happily to eat it.

"I'm fine. You seem to be doing great. Shall we aim for the execution platform now? It's getting closer to three," Mizuki suggested.

"Yeah, better to free Ace sooner. I hope he's okay!" Yuki agreed.

The rest of the crew were involved in their own battles. Most of them had found a fairly powerful opponent to fight, and were enjoying themselves. Yuki was happy about that, so she decided not to interrupt as she and Mizuki made their way farther into the enemy's territory.


	13. Luffy's Entrance

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Luffy's Entrance**

Yuki looked up into the sky. Surrounding the area were large, grey clouds. She was glad for that, because she was extremely sensitive to the sun. For some unknown reason, it made her strength fade. Maybe it was just that she wasn't used to it, but she had always had big problems because of it. Now was a time when she didn't want _any_ problems.

Focusing on her target, she began to fight, but a cry from Mizuki alerted her that something was wrong. Kicking the marine in the stomach, she turned to ask Mizuki what was wrong. Mizuki was staring at the sky.

"What is it?" Yuki asked her nakama. Mizuki merely pointed. Looking in the direction she indicated, Yuki saw a large _thing_ falling. Looking closer, she realized it was a marine _battleship_! Why would one of those be falling from that height?!

They stood, stunned, until a marine managed to land a hit on Yuki, bruising her arm. Both of the girls rounded on him, attacking at full force. It was Captain Smoker.

Meanwhile, on the falling battleship, Luffy and the escaped prisoners from Impel Down were expecting their demise.

They happened to be caught by the wave the Whitebeard caused, only to reach the top of it and be frozen in place by Aokiji. Escaping prison aside, it was just not their day.

"What?!" Luffy yelled angrily. "We don't have any time for this! I have to get to Ace!"

"But how do we free it from the ice, and if we do, won't we just fall to our deaths? I don't think there's many options right now," Ivan said. He was the Drag Queen who had been working with Dragon, Luffy's father.

"Yeah. Ivan's right," Crocodile said.

"Hm... what if we slide the ship down the wave? We could break it free and we wouldn't die," Luffy suggested. Everyone was surprised, because it was coming from the idiot of them all. Even Buggy was usually more intelligent than Luffy.

"I... that... could work," Ivan said hesitantly. None of the people there were eager to try it. They all stood in silence for a moment, until the Den Den Mushi on the ship began to ring. Luffy walked over and picked it up.

_*Buzz* "... We will now move Portgas D. Ace's execution up from the appointed time. All marines prepare for battle." *Buzz* _ The transmission ended following a bunch of code that no one understood.

"Moving it up?! We have to go, _now_," Luffy said, panicking.

The others nodded. Luffy, Ivan, Crocodile, Buggy, and Jinbe jumped down onto the ice, preparing to break through. Little did they know, that plan would backfire. Sure, they could accomplish their goal, but they would nearly die getting there.

Yuki glanced up again, causing her to be left open to attack. Smoker saw the good opportunity and swung his jutte at her. Mizuki blocked it in time, but she sustained a bit of damage.

"You're easily distracted," Smoker yelled to Yuki. "That will be your downfall!"

Paying attention again, Yuki replied. "Yeah, but you'd be distracted, too, if you saw a battleship falling from the sky! It's not something you see a lot." Yuki pulled out her katana. She knew that she needed it if she wanted to win.

"Yuki! Use your Haki, he's a logia type!" Mizuki called a warning to her friend. She was charged with the task of protecting their arrogant captain, and she wouldn't fail. They all needed Yuki to survive as a crew.

"Yeah, thanks!" Yuki thanked Mizuki and turned back to Smoker. "You're gonna be a challenge to fight, I can feel it! Not like those weaklings who spend all of their time lazing around your headquarters spouting nonsense about justice"

"Yeah? Well, they may be soft, but not all of us are, you know! I'll have your head, 'Red Snow' Yuki!" Smoker replied. Another bout of blows with the seastone tip of his jutte, and Yuki was defending more than attacking.

"Well, at least you know me!" she called.

"Well, you're in the news often enough. Hard not to learn your name," Smoker spat back. They were now in a dance of flashing weapons, blows flying back and forth. The few insults they began with were piling up, along with a few compliments, too.

Mizuki just stood there for most of it. She thought it was strange how they could continue a conversation though battling fiercely. It was as if the two of them had rehearsed it, because the comments flowed, never slowing.

Looking around, she noticed that the battleship that was falling from the sky had landed in a convenient little pool of unfrozen water; the only one surrounding the island. She sighed with relief. Many people would die on the battlefield, and she didn't want any deaths because of a stupid accident.

Breaking into her thoughts, a yell from Yuki came. "Mizuki, take my place! I have a feeling Luffy's on the ship that fell!"

"What?!" Mizuki was startled by the sudden request. "Alright, I will, but you owe me a new pocket watch!" Her old one was wearing out, so she needed one that could actually keep time, instead of being an hour slow.

"No you don't! You can't escape from me, Red Snow!" Smoker was furious that Yuki didn't consider him a big enough threat to fight herself. He also didn't want to let her get away, so he pushed her back, attacking more ferociously.

Suddenly, a yell came across the ice. "ACE!" Yuki instantly recognized it as Luffy, and did her best to back towards Mizuki. Glaring at Smoker, who had suddenly become as distracted as she was, Yuki pulled back and switched with her nakama.

Racing towards the battleship, Yuki was panicking. She knew it was inevitable that Luffy would show up to save his brother, but she had still been hoping he wouldn't come. It just wasn't right for him to go and possibly die. Now, she just hoped she could get to him in time.

Luffy had always needed looking after. He was just that kind of person, and would get into so much trouble. Even as a little kid, she could remember so many occasions where he would require rescuing, and so she and Ace would jump into danger to save their best friend and adopted sibling.

Skidding to a stop and nearly falling into the ocean, Yuki reached the spot where the ship fell. Standing at the top, a large group of people were gathered. Luffy, of course, was standing in front of everyone. Yuki couldn't stop laughing when she saw that.

Looking at the people he was with, she could tell that it wasn't his usual crew. One of them she recognized at the former Shichibukai, Crocodile. Remembering what it had said in the paper, Luffy was directly responsible for his capture and imprisonment in Impel Down Level 6. Why were they working together?

"LUFFY!" Yuki yelled to her friend. He heard and searched the battlefield for her. Once spotted, she was sent a reply.

"Yuki! You're here, too?!" Luffy responded, astonished. He hadn't seen her in two years, but he instantly knew who it was. Neither of them had changed much, except Luffy was a little taller.

"Yeah. C'mon, we have to go save Ace!" Yuki said.

Luffy nodded. "One second, I gotta go take care of something." He used his devil's fruit power to accelerate his heart rate. One step and he vanished, probably off to stop some bad thing from happening.

Yuki leaped up onto the battleship, wishing to introduce herself to their allies. She didn't _really_ consider them allies, yet, but it was a step in the right direction. They had helped her friend, and for that she was grateful.

"Yo. I'm Yuki, and you are?"

"Emporio Ivankov. Strawhat Boy seemed to know you," the tall man with puffy purple hair said, introducing himself. The people around the circle surrounding them nodded.

"Yes, how do you know Luffy-kun?" the large fishman asked her.

"Oh, we grew up together. I assume that you're now friends with Luffy?" Yuki replied, asking a question of her own. She was curious as to how the others viewed her best friend.

"You are correct, for me, at least. I am Jinbe. You are that 'Red Snow' Yuki I've heard about, right? Pleasure to meet you," the fishman said. He held out a hand and Yuki shook it.

"So, you're Luffy's _friend_? Not sibling?" Ivan asked her.

"Yeah. Technically, Luffy, Ace, and I are adopted siblings, but we aren't related by blood. Doesn't really matter, though. We grew up with each other, learned how to fight together, and a lot of other things," Yuki replied. Ivan nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"You won't survive a minute here, brat!" Whitebeard's voice echoed loudly across the battlefield. Everyone stopped, startled into silence. Yuki looked over, unhappy at the confrontation. She had hoped to make Whitebeard an ally, but if he didn't like Luffy...

"I have to go!" Yuki said. Turning around, she saw Mizuki standing near the water surrounding the ship.

"I, um, lost Smoker..." Mizuki said sheepishly.

"That's fine, we didn't have any time to deal with him in the first place. Come on, Luffy's here. We have to go help him before he's injured by Whitebeard. That idiot doesn't know how to be polite," Yuki told her.

Happy that Yuki wasn't mad, Mizuki escorted her captain to Whitebeard's ship, which wasn't very far away. A quick dash across the ice was the only way for the two of them, who couldn't fly, to get to the ship.

They fought their way across the battlefield, sustaining minimal injuries. A cut above Yuki's left eye, due to inattention, and a big bruise on Mizuki's leg, because of the heavy club she tried to block.

"You know, there was a marine transmission. They're gonna move Ace's execution up, so we'd better hurry." Luffy volunteered information to the great pirate.

"Why are you bothering to tell me this?" Whitebeard glared at him.

"Well, you want to save Ace, too, right? I thought you should know," Luffy replied.

"Well, you'd better not hold me back, brat," Whitebeard laughed.

"Screw you! I'm gonna do what I came here to do, and that's to save Ace!" Luffy completely ignored the shouts of surprise at his rudeness, leaping off the ship. He only wanted to accomplish this one mission, and everything would be okay.


	14. War of the Great - Part Two

**Chapter Fourteen**

**War of the Great II**

Yuki followed her little brother through many fights, and found her help wasn't usually necessary. Every now and then, she looked up to see Ace with a pained look on his face, most likely wishing for his nakama to stop being hurt. Yuki got more unhappy each time she looked.

"Luffy, c'mon! We've gotta get to Ace faster, so let me help..." Yuki trailed off, but Luffy wasn't listening. Like always.

"LUFFY!" Mizuki shouted, trying to help her captain. "Listen to what Yuki has to say."

At that, he turned his head, ducking in time for a slash with the back of Yuki's katana to hit the enemy that swung his sword at the Straw Hat captain.

"If I work with you, we can get there much faster. The admirals are also coming out, and I've been in the new world for almost a year now," Yuki said, trying to persuade him. "I bet that if I had your help, we could take them down."

"The New World? Cool!" Luffy's eyes were sparkly at the thought of a whole world full of danger and adventure. It was clear that he couldn't _wait_ to get there.

"Yeah, so let's work together." Mizuki smiled at the other captain. She thought he was kind of dorky, but in a funny way. It was nice to be his ally, not an enemy.

Luffy and Yuki nodded, looking each other in the eyes. It was just like beating up the gangs back when they were children, the two of them fought well together. Ducking while one threw a punch, sliding under a soldier to knock him down, the other would leap over the enemy and attack, putting all of their hatred for the marines in their fierce force.

It was nostalgic for Yuki, fighting alongside her friend and adopted brother. This was the first time she had seen him in two years, and their attacks fell together in a perfect, fast rhythm. It was like they had never been apart.

Mizuki helped all she could, but there wasn't much to do, until Smoker found them again. Luffy tried to fight him on his own, but Boa Hancock, the pirate empress, interfered and assisted Luffy when he was about to lose.

"Mizuki, help Hancock out! She might need it. I'll be fine, Luffy's with me," Yuki called to her crew member. Mizuki nodded and did as she was told.

"_How dare you beat and hold down my dearest?!_" Hancock was yelling furiously at Smoker, obviously infuriated by what he did to Luffy.

"Hm... so that was the Haki of the Kuja tribe," Smoker whispered to himself. He was referring to when Hancock had landed a solid hit on him, which was normally impossible, for he was a logia type Devil's Fruit user.

Boa Hancock turned towards Luffy and held out something, offering it to him. Yuki saw Luffy's face change from angry to happy, and tried to get closer. Suddenly, Luffy hugged Hancock, making her flustered, blushing bright red. It was clear that he didn't really care about that, because he ran over to where Yuki and Mizuki were standing.

"It's a key! To Ace's seastone handcuffs! Now we won't have to try and break them open, though I bet we could," Luffy exclaimed, still really happy. It didn't take much to make him happy.

"That's great! Let's go, we can't waste any more time," Mizuki replied. Yuki gave her a startled look, like she hadn't expected that comment. "What? I'm in charge of making sure you complete your mission."

Yuki shot her another look before following Luffy. He had already left them behind in his eagerness to free his adoptive brother. Mizuki let out a sigh. Sometimes her captain could be so troublesome, just like a spoiled little kid. That was also the impression she had gotten from Luffy.

* * *

"Sorry, Red Hair, I won't go easy on them," Mihawk muttered to himself, watching the three pirates approaching. He regretted agreeing to take part in the war, not expecting to be forced to do battle with Strawhat and Red Snow. He wanted to see how they would grow in years to come, not to kill them.

Raising his immense sword, he sliced the air, sending out a dangerous slash that would catch even the most experienced fighters. It swept across the battlefield, leaving a trail of destruction. Finally, it sliced all the way through the wave frozen by Aokiji.

The three pirates, Luffy, Yuki, and Mizuki, noticed just in time to duck, but others weren't that lucky. It was as if Hawk Eyes had released a monster onto the battlefield, letting it do as it pleased. It was challenging to continue dodging the many slashes aimed at the them, and soon they were tired out.

Mihawk was paying close attention to Yuki. Red Hair had told him that she was a prodigy where fencing was concerned, and he wished to test her skills. If only she would draw that marvelous katana she had at her hip.

"Alright, I'm pissed off!" Yuki yelled. As if she had read his thoughts, she drew her katana, holding it just so.

"I see you're a swordsman," Mihawk commented. "Shall we have a duel?"

"Sure," Yuki spat at him. "Not like I have anything _important_ to do. Something like, oh, _saving Ace_?" It was clear that she didn't care about anything except reaching Ace in time, and that annoyed Mihawk a little. She was taking him too lightly.

"I won't go easy on you," Mihawk warned.

"Fine. Cut me down, for all I care." Yuki was aggravating him more. It seemed like she knew just how to get him ticked off.

Mihawk nodded curtly, sending another slash in her direction. Rapidly, she sent one back, countering his own. This was a battle of skills, one Mihawk would undoubtedly win. He had much more experience and practice, years of it. He would not lose to a girl who couldn't even control her temper.

The exchange of blows continued for a few minutes, neither one of them making any progress. Luffy and Mizuki got bored and left to battle their way through the mass of fighters wearing each other down. Mihawk noticed and decided to end the game he was playing with Yuki.

"Time for me to stop Strawhat," Mihawk called to his opponent. "Sorry, but I have to put this game on hold. Farewell, Red Snow."

"Wait a minute! you challenge me and then stop in the middle?" Yuki replied angrily.

Mihawk wasn't listening to her, though. Even though he would rather let him go, he had a duty as a Shichibukai to prevent Strawhat from making it to Ace. He sent a slash in their direction, not expecting what happened next.

Yuki jumped in front of the slash, using her sword to prevent most of the damage from reaching her. When Mihawk looked her in the eyes, he was shocked to see they had turned from the vibrant green to a scarlet red. Yuki, however, didn't look surprised to see his reaction, and promptly aimed a thrust at his midsection.

Leaping back, Mihawk managed to dodge it. He had been so startled by the eye change that he wasn't paying enough attention to his surroundings. Holding his sword at eye level, he challenged Yuki again, seriously that time. She only grinned in response.

Just as Mihawk was about to launch an attack, two people stopped him dead in his tracks. The Whitebeard pirates' commanders, Marco and "Flower Sword" Vista, had appeared to assist.

"Hey, he's my enemy!" Yuki yelled angrily.

"Don't let yourself get sidetracked. Saving Ace is the most important thing right now, isn't it? You have to help Strawhat!" Marco replied. "Go! If you don't you may regret it." He shooed her off with a motion. It only served to annoy her more, but he was right. There was no guarantee that she would win against Mihawk, and even if she did, she would take too much time doing it.

Sighing, she left to find her companions whom had left her to fight. Everything about the war just stressed her out, and at the middle of it all was Ace's execution. No matter what, she couldn't let them succeed. It would be too painful, she would rather take her own life than watch him die. He was everything to her.

* * *

"Luffy! Did you see where Yuki was?" Mizuki asked the young captain.

"I thought she was fighting Hawk Eyes," Luffy replied.

"Well, she's not there anymore! Are you sure you didn't see her anywhere else? It could also be a white cat," Mizuki said. She was worried about her captain. Even though they were strong, there were many enemies who could win against them, especially if they went ganged up on Yuki.

Her captain. The reckless, fearless person who led a ragged bunch of toughened girls around, enjoying their freedom. She was strong, but not invincible. Of course not, there would always be someone who could grow enough to beat the strongest person in the world. That was how it was.

Now, facing hordes of unknown enemies, Mizuki was having second thoughts about agreeing to help. Her captain had vanished without a trace, leaving her to fend off the multitude of monstrous people standing in their way. It was the first time this had happened to her, and she was being cautious.

* * *

"Where the heck are you, Mizuki?! Luffy! Call out to me!" Yuki yelled. She was standing alone in the middle of the fighters, wondering where her friends had gotten to. She didn't have the will to just return to fighting Hawk Eyes, so she decided to go for Ace.

"_Hmm,"_ she thought. "_If I head to where Ace is, I'll probably find Luffy and Mizuki along the way. That's my best bet."_


	15. Reaching Ace

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Reaching Ace**

"Luffy! We lost Yuki a ways back! We've gotta wait for her!" Mizuki called, trying to convince the straw hat wearing boy to slow down.

"No! Yuki will come to save Ace, even if we aren't there! Waiting for her won't help Ace, so we've gotta get there, too," Luffy yelled angrily. "I'm going, with or without you!"

Mizuki let out a frustrated sigh. She was getting tired of chasing after Yuki's little brother, even though he KO-ed almost everyone in their path. It was like looking after her younger siblings back home. She was always annoyed by the slightest action they took against her.

"Fine, I'll come." Mizuki had long since given up on convincing him to to otherwise, but she had still tried. "I hope you and Yuki are more alike than I think."

* * *

Yuki had indeed been more similar to her adoptive brother than Mizuki had thought. Luffy knew she would go to Ace first, and Yuki knew Luffy would go to Ace first. If something was important to them, both siblings wouldn't give up on it.

'_I guess I'll use my Neko Neko no Mi powers now. No sense in being slowed down if I can avoid it,"_ she thought. Slowly shifting forms, her hair grew shorter and lightened, and soon she was a small white cat.

Glancing around to make sure no one had noticed, she bounded off, towards the platform. If she could make it past Garp unnoticed, she would be fine. All she had to do was get the key from Luffy.

_That_ was the hard part. How could she get it? Luffy wouldn't be able to get past them all unnoticed, like herself, and she had no idea where they were. She would probably end up waiting for him in front of the platform.

Slowly, so as not to disturb the fighters, she picked her way through the battle mostly unnoticed. A quick shout roused her alertness, though. It was a shout she recognized. Had heard it in battle many times before.

Gramps.

Admiral Garp was knocking over people in his direct path to her, not caring whether they were pirate or marine. He just wanted to stop Yuki, and he nearly did. Nearly, but not quite.

She slipped through a hole blasted in a frozen wave, small enough for her to escape her pursuer. After an angry shout from Garp, he gave up, punching the icy wall that stood before him.

Not glancing back, Yuki crawled on her belly through the chilled tunnel, at the pace of a snail. It was barely big enough, and she got stuck once. Her fur was thoroughly matted down by the time she clawed herself out the other side.

* * *

Admiral Aokiji scanned the battlefield for any sign of bigger threats, like one of Whitebeard's commanders, or even one of Garp's grandchildren. He knew that Luffy was pretty far away, but he had lost sight of the older sibling of Luffy's.

With his knowledge of his adversaries, he continued to search for some creature out of place, like a house cat. He let out a sad smile when he saw just that.

A little white cat was pulling itself out of a tunnel blasted through the ice he had frozen, to prevent Marineford from being sunken. Instantly, he knew what, or who, that little beast was. An enemy worth fighting.


	16. Yuki's Past

**Chapter 16**

**Yuki's Past?**

Snaking slowly through the fighters, the cat's slim body weaved in between battles raging not even a foot away from each other. It was pure chaos on the ice, and she nearly got stomped on three times already. There were definitely disadvantages to being stealthy and small.

Yuki was avoiding people who could recognize her as often as possible. Maybe it was because of that, but it seemed like every single one of her enemies was on a mission to hunt her down and kill her.

Including the three Admirals.

Admiral Aokiji was the first person to spot her, mainly because he knew what to look for, and recognized her in her current form. Yuki noticed him coming and shifted back, drawing her katana. It was a second too late.

As Aokiji's ice slid over her skin, preventing any movement, she couldn't help feeling like it was incredibly ironic. Her title was "Red Snow" Yuki, and here she was, being frozen. It was just like that one time when he had spared her life.

Looking at the Admiral's face, she was slightly surprised to see that he looked sad to be doing that, to be her enemy. Like he regretted being a marine sometimes.

Then she passed out as the ice covered her face and she ran out of breath.

* * *

**Flashback... **

"Let... go... of me!" Yuki gasped, clawing at the hand around her neck. She was being suffocated by Admiral Aokiji, and he had her lifted off the ground. For some reason, he wasn't using his Devil's Fruit powers.

Suddenly, her body went limp, and he loosened his grip on her throat. No need to kill this pirate, she could be sentenced later. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book that had all the current wanted posters in it.

All the admirals and vice-admirals had one, and it was good up to a month after being printed. Not many changes were made, but enough were that it was considered void if you held onto it for two or three months. The information couldn't be considered "true".

Flipping through the sections, he found the one for rookies. Aokiji hadn't recognized Yuki by appearance, meaning it was likely that she was one of the newer rookies. And he did find what he was looking for. "Red Snow" Yuki was noted for possessing a Devil's Fruit power.

Yuki... that name sounded familiar. He felt his curiosity swell up and decided to keep her for further investigation. There was something nagging him at the back of his mind, something someone important told him once.

…...

About an hour after she fell unconscious, Yuki was clasped in seastone chains and thrown in a cell, where Aokiji was waiting for her to wake up. Even though she wasn't a Logia type, she could shift her shape. Small paws could definitely fit through normal chains. The seastone prevented her from shifting.

A marine battleship that came weekly to pick up prisoners happened to come while Yuki was in the cell, and Aokiji was still interested with her. Using his ice, he hid her away in a corner of the cell when the Vice-Admiral came around for the prisoners.

Noticing Aokiji, he called a greeting to his superior. "Oh, Admiral, hope you're having a good day today. I see we have plenty of pirates in irons today."

"Yes, and I found a little animal to _look after_ today," Aokiji replied.

"Hm, well, I hope it's a cat or a dog, or something sensible. I don't really get why the Fleet Admiral keeps his goat. It's a farm animal! He should send it to a farm." The other man let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Well, I believe she's a wild cat. She's a little odd, but cute, nonetheless."

"Good for you, sir. I'll be taking the prisoners now, alright?" he asked.

Aokiji gave a short nod and sent the Vice-Admiral about his business. When he said that Yuki was a little odd, he was telling the truth. She had tried to talk her way out of the fight at first, but when he said something about not being brave, she got angry almost instantly. It was strange to watch.

A thudding told him that his "guest" was awake. Walking over to the container, he quickly evaporated the remaining ice.

Once she had been freed from the chilly capsule, Aokiji reached down and helped her stand up. After a quiet thanks, she shot him a bad look as she limped slowly towards the stairs. It was clear to Aokiji that her energy and strength were being drained, but the young pirate would not admit to that weakness.

After allowing a bit of respect for her to take hold in his mind, he walked quickly after her, escorting her up the stairs. She complained loudly at first, but after tripping up three stairs, Yuki gave in to his assistance.

It was taking all of her remaining strength to stand, and Aokiji couldn't help noticing the bruises he left on her neck. They stood out against her snowy skin, like a collar. It was far worse than that for a pirate, he knew. She had lost to a marine, and that was a disgrace to her pride. She wasn't used to losing.

When they got up to one of the private offices on the second level of the base, Yuki took the first chair she saw, sat down like a sack of potatoes, and glared at her captor. It wasn't a glare of contempt or hatred, just slight annoyance and persuasion. He felt like he could trust this girl.

"No, she's a pirate," Aokiji muttered. Yuki could barely make it out. Then, louder, to the girl, he asked her about her name and origins.

"Why does your name sound familiar to me?"

"I don't know. Gramps probably mentioned me to you," she replied lazily. "He seems to enjoy spending time with other marines, telling them about his wonderful, polite, pirate grandchildren. Well, the pirate part he hates. And I'm adopted."

"Who's... 'Gramps'?" Aokiji asked, slowly realizing who it was.

"Vice-Admiral Garp." Yuki answered without hesitation, and somewhere in the Admiral's mind, it felt right. Like she was telling the truth. He had to learn more about this pirate. She was different.

"Do you mind if we talk?"

"Do _you_ mind if we take off my seastone bracers?"

He sighed, realizing he was dealing with a smartass. Great. "Sure, but can I trust you not to run away? A lot of pirates have tried to do that before, and it was just extra work for me. You don't mind, do you?"

"Yeah, you can trust me. By the end of the conversation, I'll have you liking me so much you really will just let me go. I have a way with people." Grinning, Yuki spread her hands out in front of her.

Another sigh, then Aokiji pulled the key from his pocket. "I don't think you're right..."

"I'm sure I am, sir."

"You _do_ know who I am, right?" he asked her quietly. That got a long bout of laughing from the chair across from his. Yuki was falling out of her chair laughing so hard. It was kind of embarrassing, strangely.

"Of course! Who doesn't know the three Admirals? That's why I was so keen to avoid a fight with you. No way was I getting into that mess willingly." She wiped a tear away from her eye before continuing. "It's all good, it's fine. I know, that's what's important."

"Have you ever wanted to become a marine? Ever?" Aokiji was curious. Garp had to have some kind of influence on this child, right?

"Sort of. I love playing the hero, but for the marines or World Government, you would be forced to obey the commands of those higher ranking than you. There are so many rules to obey, and too much actual work." She let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"So, why are you a pirate, then? You could have been a sailor instead," Aokiji suggested quickly. "I mean, you would be hunted down as soon as there was a bounty on your head. Kind of tiring, isn't it?"

"Well, there are always rules in a world that is dominated by some kind of ruler. It just isn't for me. Being a pirate gives me the freedom to do what I feel is right, when I feel it's right. You couldn't do that as anyone else."

Aokiji felt more respect to his captive. It was true, she didn't seem like one of those pirates that goes around killing people just for fun. Yuki had a sensible feel around her, a leader-like feeling. Even though he was her senior in many, many ways, he would have followed her orders gladly if she hadn't been a pirate.

"If" being the operative word.

"I wish you had been a marine. You would've made a good one," he commented, without meaning to. Instantly, he regretted it.

"A good _marine_? Nope, I would get kicked out within the first week of training. I can't follow orders blindly. I always over think things, and I make perfect plans." She shook her head emphatically. "No, they would hate me. I probably should have helped my adopted little brother's dad. He's a revolutionary. "

"Who is he?" Aokiji asked, yet again.

"Dragon. Everyone knows him."

"Oh."

"So, have you ever wanted to be a pirate?" Yuki asked him.

"No. I had a bad view of them when I was little, and for most of them, I still do. They constantly raided our village when I was a little kid. Don't have a sob story like most, but I didn't like them."

"Oh," she said, pouting. "You would have been a good one."

"You're sure about that? I think I would be some sissy pirate who defeated other pirates just to help and old lady cross the street." Aokiji stared up at the ceiling, searching for flaws or spiderwebs to occupy his sight.

Yuki just shrugged at what he had to say. Either way, it didn't matter to her at all. He was a marine, and she was a pirate. If not for that, they could have been friends. They were both definitely smart enough to be.

"Can I go now?" she asked.

"Yeah, just don't let anyone see you, and don't tell anyone that I just let you go. They'd have my skin for it, I'm sure. Marines do _not_ just let a pirate go." He was grinning. It was a fun talk. "If I see you again, I'll have to be serious and take you in, though. Get stronger."

"Alright, bye."

**I won't update for a little while, I want to complete the next two chapters before I post any more. It will only be about three or four more chapters.**

**~AkaiyukiDaten-shi~**


	17. It Can't Be

**Chapter 17**

**It Can't Be...**

Gradually, the girl becomes aware of her surroundings, of the chill deep in her bones and muscles, and the ache in her neck. Things stand out, such as the cool feeling that the surface of whatever she was in, or the dim lighting.

Where she is, the world is small. She realizes that she's enclosed in a capsule of some sort, and she presses against the container's walls. Ace could be dead right now, or freed by Luffy and Mizuki. Or they could also be dead. She has to escape, needs to know what happened to her precious friends.

Slowly, she cracks that thin membrane that separates her from the outside world and protects her. She doesn't want protection, nor does she need it. She _needs_ to escape this small prison.

* * *

Shifting quickly into cat form, Yuki surveyed the area. She was surprised to find herself on the main island, and that the icy battleground was completely gone now. As she stretched her head up to glance over to where the execution platform was.

She had turned not a second before the platform collapsed under Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Ace, Luffy, and Mizuki fell off, along with one of the executioners. She was smiling now, glad to see they were all okay.

Then the marines aimed their cannons at the falling group. She wasn't nervous or alarmed. If Luffy couldn't defend against projectiles while in the air, he wouldn't have been able to make it this far. That only made her more pleased. She felt sorry for the marines when Ace and the others landed.

She stretched and shifted back into human form, because there would be no point in trying to go unnoticed now. No one's attention was on her, so it really didn't matter. All the pirates were cheering or fighting against the remaining marines, and the marines were just about at their limits.

Through the smoke coming from the bottom of the platform, Ace's fire blazed in the emblem of the Whitebeard pirate crew, followed by Mizuki's silver flame with both the Snow pirates and Luffy's Strawhat crew. Yuki let out a giggle, she'd have to punch Mizuki for that later, when they were back together again.

Running as fast as she could, Yuki raced to her brothers and her nakama. She hadn't seen Ace in almost a year, and it was just horrible to meet him like this. The only good thing to come out of it was the fact that he _wasn't_ going to be executed.

After that slow awakening, things started moving too quickly for people to follow. As if someone had turned on time again, everyone was fighting as ferociously as ever. Ace and Luffy made such a good team, Yuki was proud of them.

She and the others were heading towards each other, even though Mizuki's group didn't know it. When the others saw Yuki, they made a beeline for her. Just as they were about to reach her, though, they were stopped by Admiral Akainu.

He was standing like a wall between them, preventing the others from grouping up with another strong opponent. One quick punch was all it took to separate them even further and cause chaos to break out.

Akainu was beating Ace down, forcing him back. He kept at it, until Ace was too weak to stand, but he didn't finish him off. No, that was too kind for the old admiral, and he leaped over to where Luffy was reaching for Ace's vivre card.

"You get to see your brother die, Fire Fist!" Akainu yelled. Yuki saw the look in Ace's eyes and knew what he was going to do. There was panic there, along with fear for his dearest friend and brother. He was going to sacrifice himself.

Yuki felt the same way. She knew that Luffy would be less devastated if she died than if Ace died. Ace and Luffy meant the world to each other. She had to save both of them, and there was only one way to do it.

Drawing her sword, she quickly leaped in front of Akainu's boiling lava, taking the blow meant for her little brother. Plunging her katana into the ground before her, she collapsed to her knees before him, facing Luffy.

Warm tears spilled out of her eyes, not from pain, but from joy. The joy of being able to save her brothers. She would allow them to live on, and Mizuki, too. She wouldn't be able to get her back for that emblem later. Oh well.

Success.

* * *

**Please, I need to know how I'm doing! **

**Send me reviews!**


	18. Goodbye, Everyone

**Chapter 18**

**Goodbye, Everyone**

Ace couldn't believe his eyes, not for a single second. Not when his sister had done so much for them, and supported them all for so long. It was just too cruel. Why did she do that to them? Didn't she realize, Luffy needed her? That _he_ needed her?

Ace felt the hot tears rolling down his cheeks, and let out a sob. He would've done that for her, or Luffy. It wasn't right, he was the eldest sibling. Why would Akainu do that to them? It was just cruel, making someone watch the death of their closest friends and family members.

"Yuki, you idiot!" he whispered in frustration. Who would look after Luffy when he went back with Whitebeard and the others? "Why did you... you big, stupid, idiot!"

Slowly, Ace stood up, wiping away the trails of tears. As he did, he saw that Marco and Vista had pushed Akainu back, leaving Luffy kneeling by his sister. Ace felt another wave of sadness, accompanied by a feeling of rage and hatred. He looked at his sister's wound and paled. They were all too late, the damage had been done.

He stumbled quickly over to the others, reaching them about the same time as her first mate, Mizuki, did. Ace was still weak from all the blows dealt to him by Akainu, and collapsed next to his brother, using his shoulder to support himself.

Mizuki knelt next to her captain and gently patted her head. "You big meanie, why'd you do this to us? We need you, you know? You're just a stupid pirate, you have to survive longer than me, baka," she whispered, her voice stressed.

Yuki raised her head slowly and smiled. It was full of loving kindness, the kind of smile that attracts people, or makes you lover blush and kiss you. There was no sadness behind that smile, that pretty face with emerald eyes.

"I know, Mizuki," she said quietly. Glancing at Ace and Luffy, she started to cry, still with that loving smile. "I'm sorry... brothers... I can't stay long now."

She carefully caressed each of their faces, leaving a small smear of her own blood on their pale skin. It was partially obscuring Ace's freckles, one of the things she loved about him most.

"Lu...ffy... I love... your dream," she gasped, trying to get the words out. It was getting harder for her to speak to them. "Ace, … look... after him and... my crew, please."

All they could do was nod in silence, the shock of the situation gradually settling in, while they waited for more words from Yuki.

"Yuki... stay here," Luffy said, his voice quivering. "You can't possibly leave like this, stay with me! You promised, didn't you?"

"Luffy..." Yuki whispered, trailing off. She broke into a fit of coughing, making Ace panic and Mizuki gasp in terror. Their friend's life was ending faster than anticipated, slowly draining away to nothing.

"Yuki, stay with me! We all need you, so you can't possibly die. You aren't allowed to die, like Luffy said," Ace complained loudly. "Right, Luffy? Mizuki?"

"Of course! Never... would I... allow my captain to die before me!" Mizuki said quickly through her sobbing. After she finished speaking, she gently tapped Yuki's arm with her fist, in a mock punch.

Luffy nodded, letting out a wail of pain. Yuki only shook her head as much as she still could, frowning at the three of them.

"Please... don't... make this any... harder than it... has to... be," she gasped. "My... organs are... burned to ashes... and that means... I will die... soon."

Ace could see the logic in her argument, but that didn't mean he had to sit back and let it happen. It wasn't like Luffy would understand, or would take it. He would do all that he could to force her to survive.

"No! Don't die!" Luffy yelled angrily.

Ace placed one hand on Luffy's arm and started speaking. "Luffy, you've gotta let go if that's what Yuki wants, right? And Yuki, your crew is waiting, right? You can't die and leave them captainless."

"He's right, _Captain_, you can't leave us," Mizuki said loudly.

Frowning, tears spilled down Yuki's face again. "Ace... look after... Luffy. I... really do... lo..." she trailed off, and the arm that she was using to support herself slipped off the katana as her eyes flickered shut.

Landing on the ground with a dull thud, Yuki lay as if sleeping. If only it were just that, but they knew the truth. She was dead, her last breath long gone. No one breathed for almost a minute, still hoping.

Luffy went into shock, a wail that split their eardrums was cut off abruptly. Mizuki broke down crying, hitting the ground in frustration. She knew she could've prevented this if she had known it was going to happen. Where were those psychic powers an hour ago?!

Ace, with fresh tears running down his face, laid Yuki against her katana and quickly scooped up his little brother. He had to get his remaining sibling out of there, not to mention Yuki's nakama, Mizuki.

What had Yuki been about to say, though? He would have to ask Mizuki later, she had been with Yuki more recently than he had been.

"C'mon, Mizuki, we've got to escape now," Ace said, pulling on her arm. "And what was Yuki going to say? Do you know?"

After standing up, she replied. "Lo... that would be "love", right? Yuki loved you, I think. At least, that's what it felt like to me... she wasn't able to confess, I guess..." More sobs from Mizuki met her last statement.

Ace patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. Was it true? Had Yuki loved him?

"I guess it must've been true," he mumbled to himself. Now that he thought about it, it wouldn't have been _that_ weird, because they weren't related by blood, and it seemed as if she always looked up to him.

* * *

Akainu was racing towards them, right before he found himself stopped by Jinbe, one of the newer ex-warlords. Akainu was seething with rage because he had let himself be delayed by the two commanders from Whitebeard's crew.

"Are you really against us, _Jinbe?_" he hissed.

"If you intend to kill them, then yes, I am," the ex-warlord replied steadily.

Just as Akainu raised his fist, a bellow from someone caused him to stop. It wasn't just anyone, though. It was Whitebeard, currently considered the strongest pirate since Gold Roger's days.

He snapped, attacking Akainu ferociously, as if Ace had been cut down instead of Yuki. "You caused pain to my son, and killed his sister! I _will_ kill you!" It was pure chaos after that. No one payed any attention to the escapees.

**(Still not done, two or three chapters to go! Please leave reviews, minna-san~)**


	19. Her Friends

**Chapter 19**

**Her Friends**

Admiral Akainu was storming after Jinbe and Mizuki, who were dragging Ace and Luffy along behind. Ace gave up on escaping a little while back, completely crushed by his sister's death, and Luffy had been emotionally destroyed just a few seconds after she had collapsed in front of him.

Akainu was freaking out, his lava at full-blown maximum heat, left a tail of bubbling, cooling stone behind, causing damaged to those he passed by, whether they were friend or foe. It was a vicious spree of terror.

He had been delayed by that old pirate, Whitebeard, and finally the world was rid of that powerful figure. He was the one who had battled with Gold Roger many times, just barely losing. Gold Roger had been Pirate King, but he was a close second. The time of the old pirates was over, and now it was the time of the World Government.

But now, their biggest goal was quickly escaping their grasp, and Akainu couldn't let that happen. He had to catch Fire Fist, even if it killed him. If he couldn't stop that damned submarine from submerging, he would blast it to pieces, including its inhabitants. He would _not_ risk the World Government's reputation, let alone the marines.

Suddenly, the admiral was stopped by something totally unexpected, no one would have guessed the next series. A small marine, one with pink hair and a massive headache, had appeared in front of Akainu, throwing his arms up to block the powerful man.

Standing steady, the marine wasn't swayed by the hateful glare that Akainu shot him for the moment. He had something to say, and he wouldn't be deterred by the admiral. He had seen it too much, the terrible things that happened because of this crappy war.

"Hasn't there been enough killing?!" Coby, the marine, yelled. "We've defeated the greatest pirate since the Pirate King, we've gotten our victory! Why do we need any more? Why will there be more deaths, on both sides?!"

Akainu stood up to his full height, towering over Coby's small form. He was seething with rage, and anyone who wasn't incredibly brave would've run or fainted. Maybe that just proved that Coby was insane, or he just was determined.

"Out of the way, boy," he said, his voice low and steady. "I don't have time for short, sniveling brats who think they're all that, so move. That's an order, soldier!"

Coby shook his head, closing his eyes and waiting for the blow that would end his life. It was frightening, not knowing when or how it would happen. But after a minute, Coby opened his eyes, still wary.

Akainu had indeed tried to hit the little marine, but he had been stopped. Again, something totally unexpected had happened. Standing before him was one of the four Pirate Emperors who ruled over the second half of the Grand Line, Red Hair Shanks.

Shanks's expression was a grim smile that never reached his eyes. Behind him were his entire crew, all very experienced fighters. It would make a huge difference in the war if they had started to fight. That wasn't what they were there for, though.

He had appeared for only one reason. To end this bloody war, and save those still left alive. All the marine, all the pirates, Coby was right. It was too much death. Just too much sorrow for the families of the deceased.

"I have come here to end the war, this 'War of the Great'. This young soldier is right, too much blood has been spilled over the short space of a day. We have to save those left to us, and mourn for those important people we've lost," he said, projecting his voice to reach every person possible.

After he finished his small speech, Admiral Akainu glared at him, but backed down. He didn't have the ability to win against Red Hair at that time, after being beat up by the old pirate, Whitebeard. Shanks gave him a curt nod, keeping his behavior in check.

Striding over to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Shanks glanced at Whitebeard, ignoring the urge to look at Yuki. Looking at her was unbearable for then, he would break into tears if he did. Turning back to Sengoku, he prepared himself to ask something important. Later was the time for mourning. Not now.

"Fleet Admiral," Shanks said, addressing him politely, "could you please turn over the custody of Whitebeard's and Red Snow's bodies to me? We wish to give them a proper burial."

Sengoku stayed silent, thinking about the question. All around him, the marines were booing at Shanks. It was clear they didn't like the idea very much, but they all went quiet when Sengoku cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

"Very well," Sengoku said, "but only because it's you, Red Hair."

Shanks smiled warmly, glad that he would be able to properly take care of those two great pirates. "Give us an hour and we'll be gone," he replied. Sengoku shot him a pained look and brought a hand up to his forehead.

"Just go, okay?"

Shanks nodded, turning to face his crew, giving them the go-ahead to take care of Whitebeard. He walked over to where Yuki lay against her katana, the one he had given her years before. He felt a pain in his chest as he knelt next to her.

It was as if his own daughter had died. He knew nothing of her real parents, nor did she, for that fact. Makino probably did, but he wouldn't go back to Fusha village, it was too long a trip. He just wanted to help this girl, but now she was dead.

A hand settled on his shoulder, and Shanks looked back into the face of his first mate, Benn Beckman. Benn squeezed his shoulder, giving him a sense of comfort. They had all been close to Yuki, since they visited Fusha village so many times, and it was so unfair that they had to see her like this. That she had to die before them.

"This is just too cruel," Benn muttered under his breath, before turning away.

Hearing him, Shanks nodded. "Yes. But now isn't the time to mourn. For now, we have to move all of the dead and wounded out of Marineford. We can cry later." It was just the sort of thing that Shanks did. Take care of the immediate, fixable problems.

* * *

Mizuki was with Ace, Jinbe, and Luffy, although she had no idea why. She would have to go back and tell the crew that their captain had died. That she couldn't save Yuki from being killed. The thought scared her.

What would they do to her once she returned? They crew would dissolve, she knew that. Without their captain, they were just a bunch of people who happened to know each other through the same person. They would probably hurt her, though. It felt as if it were her fault that Yuki had died.

Luffy and Jinbe had been injured while running away. Akainu had shot a burst of lava at the escapees, and almost killed Jinbe. He had a huge wound in his stomach, but Luffy seemed to be the worse for wear.

It wasn't because of the injury he had sustained from Akainu, although that was pretty bad, too. It was the fact that he had been exhausted, pushing himself since Impel Down, and hadn't had a break. He was nearly killed by the warden's poison, and Ivan had given him an adrenaline boost twice.

If that weren't enough, the strain on his mind from watching his sister die was too much to handle. He died emotionally, completely shutting down, and Ace would be his only support once he woke up again.

Ace hadn't said a word since they got in the submarine. He just sat there, watching Trafalgar Law, the 'Surgeon of Death', work on his brother, trying to keep him alive. Mizuki knew that Luffy would need emotional support once he woke up, and that that could come only from Ace. If Ace didn't shape up, Luffy really might kill himself going insane.

Mizuki lit her silver flame, holding it up near Ace's face. Ace, startled out of his daze, looked at the calming, flickering shadows that her fire made on the wall. He seemed to gain some sense back, and looked around to find out where he was.

"Luffy...?" he asked her. She merely pointed at the operating table where Law was working desperately on the young pirate. "Luffy! Oh my god..."

Standing up, he wobbled over to the table, placing his hand over his brother's. He looked at Law for some confirmation that Luffy would live, but Law was concentrating too much on the surgery to notice.

Slowly releasing his brother's hand, Ace went back over to where Mizuki was and sat down. He looked at her flame, still lit, and combined his own to her beautiful fire. It was gorgeous, and reminded her of a candle of hope, burning in their hearts.

Patting him awkwardly on the shoulder, she got up. "I'll go ask if they have a candle we can use," she whispered warmly. Ace nodded again, smiling a little.

"Okay," he replied. "Thanks."

Mizuki felt glad that she could do something for him, and hoped that Luffy would survive. It wouldn't be fair if both of Ace's siblings died in an attempt to save him. All he would have left would be Vice-Admiral Garp, whom he wouldn't be allowed to see.

* * *

Back in Fusha village, Makino was crying, so much so that no one could even offer the slightest comfort. Her favorite little girl had died, and Luffy was in so much pain, she couldn't bear it. Ace had survived, but at what cost? She felt horrible.

The mayor knocked on the door to the bar and entered, bringing with him a little book full of pictures. He set it on the bar and placed his hands on Makino's shoulders, trying to look into her eyes.

"Ace and Luffy have escaped, Makino! They'll survive, and live for Yuki," he said, in a persuading voice. "We still have our Luffy, you know! And I bet that Shanks will return before too long. He's been here before."

"No... he won't..." she sobbed. "And Yuki's de.. de..dead! How can I... feel better... like this?!" She let out a wail of distress, still crying.

"Come on, we... we'll be able to cheer on the others," the mayor said quietly. He carefully wiped the tears off Makino's face and led her upstairs, closing the curtains on her window. "Now, get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

After he left, Makino resumed her crying, and cried herself to sleep. Before long, she was in a restless nightmare full of her closest friends being injured and caged.


	20. Standing Together

**Chapter 20**

**Standing Together**

Standing on board another crew's pirate ship, Ema and Asra sat chatting about the war and how it went. Ema was petting her pet rat, Lucifer, when Bunny suddenly appeared looking moderately happy.

"I asked about Yuki, but no one seems to know anything," she commented cheerfully. "I guess they're okay, then. She _did_ say a big fuss would be made if she died, seeing as she's that Vice-Admiral's granddaughter. Mizuki can keep track of her, too."

Ema glanced gloomily at her favorite pet, stroking his head. "I guess. It's not like the two of them can't take care of themselves. They're probably a match for an admiral if they combine strengths."

Asra nodded. "Of course. Now we just need to find them. Who had Yuki's Vivre card on them? That'll fix _that _problem." She searched her pockets, like she always did whenever they needed to look for something. Asra did it even when she knew she didn't have the thing with her.

"Oh, stop that, Asra," Bunny snapped. "You know Mizuki had it, you're too likely to lose whatever we give you. We have no way of knowing where she is without talking to people who were with her at the end of the war."

"Yeah," Asra sighed, running her fingers through her brown hair. "Sorry. Just an old habit of mine from my younger years."

"Younger years? You're only about 18 years old!" Ema said, laughing.

Asra shrugged and pulled out a throwing knife to sharpen. It didn't really matter to her what they thought, she was just friends with them because of Yuki. Whenever Yuki wasn't there, their conversations felt awkward and stiff. She just made it click, somehow.

"Well, we _do_ have our base on that island in the New World. If we head there, she'll surely show up with Mizuki in tow. This situation is pretty much the only reason we even _have _a base at all." Bunny turned after that last comment and walked into the crew cabins on the ship to talk to the others.

That last statement broke up the conversation, leaving Ema and Asra to their own devices. It was true that they were only held together by Yuki, but not having her there made it painfully obvious to the other crew.

Mizuki had been sitting for what felt like hours when they finally surfaced again, and they were allowed abovedeck. Looking around, she recognized Amazon Lilly, the island where the Shichibukai, Boa Hancock, ruled.

The island was a very beautiful place, and Mizuki loved the serene calmness that accompanied it. It was so peaceful, but it felt wrong. Her captain was dead, and her crew was somewhere else, lost without Yuki. It still felt wrong to think about it.

Suddenly, a loud yell told Law's crew that Luffy had woken up. He was shouting and crying, from what she could hear, and instantly she felt the need to go and protect the poor little pirate. He had his brother, but he missed his sister.

"WHERE'S YUKI!?" Luffy roared, shooting up to the top deck. He looked around once before racing off into the surrounding forest near where they were docked.

"Wait, where's Luffy going?" Ace asked loudly, trying to follow his brother. Mizuki looked at him, and then went to follow the straw-hat captain.

"Don't know," she called, "but I'll find him and bring him back!"

Ace sighed in frustration, knowing that he wasn't allowed to enter the island. Only females were allowed on Amazon Lilly, all men were going against the local law if they were on the island. So far, Luffy was the first person to be exempt from that age old rule the women of the island had always kept.

It bothered him that he had to leave his brother and sister in the hands of others, even though Mizuki was a close friend of Yuki's. Ace still didn't know that Yuki's body had been taken by Shanks, though, and despised the marines with a newfound hate. How dare they do that to her?

Meanwhile, Mizuki was racing through the forest, following a path of destruction that could have only come from Luffy she could hear him yelling, and knew she was catching up, but she felt incredibly sorry for him. Her rule of 'No dieing' had been broken by the one person she had wanted to live most of all. Luffy must've felt ten or twenty times worse than she did.

Slowly, she approached the angry boy. He had been banging his head on a rock, and now he sat with his face in his hands. Somehow, he had recognized her presence and spoke to her.

"Where...? Where is she?" Luffy whined. "Don't tell me she's dead, it's not possible that she'd die. She's my sister."

"Luffy..." Mizuki said sadly.

"I know! I know already," he snapped angrily. "She's dead. I lost her."

"But think of who you still _have_! You have Ace, and I'll be here for you, if you need me to be. You have your hero, Shanks. You have a lot," she said quietly, trying to give him hope. It hurt her to say it, because she didn't have much, either.

"Who... do I have?" Luffy said, opening his fingers one by one, counting the many people who meant something to him. "I have my _nakama!_"

Suddenly, Luffy was crying his eyes out, and Mizuki carefully hugged him, trying not to do any more damage to his injuries. There was something about the way he cried that make her feel like protecting him.

"Shh, it's all okay. You should go back to Ace now, he's worried about you," she whispered, reminding him gently of his waiting brother. "Come on, I'll help you up, so let me get you back."

When they got back, Ace was pacing circles on the deck, waiting with Jinbe for their return. When he saw Mizuki walking out of the forest, he almost couldn't stop himself from running over to them and carrying his brother back to the sub.

"Luffy!" he called, the worry clear in his voice. When Mizuki finally got over to the sub, Ace swept up Luffy and carefully set him down on a bench. Gazing gratefully up at his sister's first mate, he nodded his thanks.

Shanks' crew had carefully laid out a blanket in front of Whitebeard's body, so that Shanks could set his charge down. It was clear to the marines who were watching that the Red Hair pirates were very... displeased about the Snow pirates' captain's death, though they had no idea why.

Shanks and his crew were planning to hold a special funeral for all the pirates who had died fighting. The main memorial services were for Whitebeard and Yuki, but they had no way of contacting Ace and Luffy for the funeral. Except for Ace's Vivre card. Shanks had forgotten about the scrap of paper he had received from the fiery pirate when they had first met.

Glancing around, he saw Marco walking towards him, looking somber. Perfect for what he had wanted, he smiled sadly at the poor fellow who stood before him.

"Red Hair, thank you for doing this," Marco said, bowing ever so slightly. "I really respected you, and so did our captain. Now I respect you even more. You are a very kind person."

"Marco, I have a way to find Ace and Luffy," Shanks said, and Marco's eyes widened a little with surprise. "Ace gave me a Vivre card of his when he first met me, in the Grand Line. I still have it, so would you mind going to get them?"

Marco nodded, slowly understanding what he had in mind. It was a leap at what he hoped would make them feel more at ease, 'them' being Luffy, Ace, and Yuki's crew members. He could understand the beauty in it, too.

"So, you're holding this funeral for them and our crew?" Marco asked, suspicious.

"No, I really do want to do this for them. Red Snow and I have a long history, though most people don't know it." Shanks coughed a little. "I taught her how to use her katana... and gave her the one she was using until the end. It was a farewell present from our crew. We knew her and Luffy when they grew up."

Shanks turned away for a minute, issuing some orders, but his voice sounded empty to Marco. After that explanation, he could tell what felt off about the powerful man standing there. He was distressed, and those who knew him well knew that this wasn't the usual 'Red Haired' Shanks, this was different.

"Alright, then," Marco said, "I'll get to it. Be back in about... a day?"

Shanks nodded, his back still to the commander. From the shape of the cloak on him, Marco could tell his shoulders her slumped, and he looked defeated. As if his age were finally catching up to him, though he wasn't that old. It was sad to see, and Marco decided to do something about it.

Walking up behind him, Marco whispered a message. "Cheer up, she got the thing she wanted from this all. So did Pops, and now they're smiling at you for doing this for them both. They wouldn't want you to be so depressed."

After that, he quickly engulfed himself in his Devil's Fruit's flames, taking the form of the phoenix that he was so well known for. Marco didn't want to hear his reply to that quick statement. It wasn't worth a thanks or something similar, it was just a last attempt to make a sad person feel better. Even though Marco felt bad, too.

Luffy was talking with his friend, Raleigh. He had come shortly after Law left the island, dropping off Ace and Jinbe before departing. He had seemed eager to talk to Luffy about how he would get a message to his friends.

It was near impossible to meet up at Shabondy Archipelago for the Straw Hats and they would need some way to communicate with the other crew members. Though the way Raleigh had in mind was painful for Luffy, Luffy agreed with enthusiasm. He wanted to get stronger, so something like this never happened again.

"... so we'll go tomorrow. For now, we need to get your strength back up, so you can be in top condition for your training. It will probably take two years to teach you about what you need to know to survive in the New World." Raleigh sighed and scratched his head. It was troublesome to plan all of this.

Luffy nodded, cramming down the food Boa had brought for him, when Mizuki approached Raleigh with her worries. She didn't know what to do about the Snow Pirates who were lost for the moment, and she needed outside advice.

"Raleigh, what should I do to tell the Snow Pirates that our captain... died? I don't have the courage to face them alone, and I was kind of hoping that Ace or Luffy would come with me..." she trailed off.

Ace glanced up when he heard his name. He had joined his brother in the feast that was set out before he two of them. Meat, fruit, veggies, and more were on a large plate waiting for the others. Nodding slowly, he considered what Mizuki had said.

"I could come along. You helped us, we're friends, okay?" he mumbled, smiling. "I can help out Yuki's friends, can't I?"

Mizuki was relieved at his response. She wouldn't have to face them alone and risk being killed by the other crew members. If someone else, an outsider, was present, it was more likely that they wouldn't go berserk.

"Raleigh! Can I go, too?" Luffy shouted, looking concerned.

Raleigh sighed and gave in, grinning. "Well, Mizuki, looks like you've got two new helpers. Sure, I'll let you go, Luffy. We can do it the day after tomorrow. Your crew will be at some designated point, right?"

Mizuki smiled sadly. "Yeah, an island in the New World. Ace might be familiar with it, but it'll be a new experience for Luffy. It's Neko Island, and Yuki chose it because she loved the cats on that particular island."

"How long ago did you get here?" Raleigh asked her.

"Only about two or three hours ago, why?"

Raleigh looked up into the sky and searched for something. "I have a distinct feeling that we'll get a visitor soon. Not an enemy, they won't be able to find us, but probably someone from the War, someone who had one of our Vivre cards."

Ace suddenly looked nervous. "Are you sure it's not a marine or something? Luffy dropped my Vivre card right before..." he trailed off, trying not to say the rest of the sentence. No need to bring up a painful memory.

"Yes, can you think of any pirates who you might've given one to? Someone you owe a favor?" Raleigh walked over to sit next to his newly appointed apprentice and pulled out a map from somewhere in his cloak.

Ace thought for a few moments, a pensive expression on his face. Who could it be? He only gave two people one, Luffy and Shanks. Luffy lost his, but Shanks never came to the war. Did he?

It dawned on him that the three of them had left earlier than anticipated, and the war was probably over by then. Was it possible that the captain of the Red Haired pirates had shown up shortly after they escaped?

"Could it be... Shanks?" Ace asked. "Or someone from his crew?"

Raleigh shook his head, frowning. "No, none of them have the speed needed to get her quickly enough. It could be someone from Whitebeard's crew, though. Marco has enough speed to get here in only a few hours, by flight."

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, a blueish dot appeared on the horizon, and it was rapidly approaching their location. They could clearly see that it was a fiery bird, and Ace knew who it was. Raleigh had been right.

"Marco!" Ace yelled, waving his arms. When the blue phoenix got close enough, it took a nosedive down, landing in front of the small group. Ace grinned and stood up, walking over to the fiery bird.

After shifting back to his original form, Marco smiled sadly and delivered the message to the group. "Red Haired Shanks has a message for you, Luffy, Ace," he said sadly. "He wants you to go meet him on a certain island in the New World. It'd be be best if the Snow Pirates' first mate came, too."

"What's this about, Marco?" Raleigh asked, stepping out from behind Jinbe.

Marco shook his head, and had a painful expression. Ace stared at him for a short moment, trying to figure it out. He had no idea what could've troubled his friend so much, short of their nakamas' deaths.

"Did... did someone else die?" Ace asked slowly.

Marco nodded and turned away. "Ace, you know the island already. That peaceful and calm Spring Island near the beginning of the New World. Take the others there when you can, try and make the trip today. The event will be the day after tomorrow."

"Wait! Marco, are you going back to Marineford?" Mizuki asked quickly, before he could fly away. "If you see the other Snow Pirates, could you tell them... that _that_ happened? I'd be in your debt!"

"You'll see them if you go to where Shanks wanted. They'll all have left Marineford by now. The marines gave the pirates an hour to leave." Marco shifted and flew away without another word.

Ace turned to Luffy. "Do you think we should go?"

"No, I can't. I made a promise to Shanks that I'd only meet him once my crew was strong enough to defeat his. I don't even _have_ my crew right now..." Luffy sighed. "Geez, this is too much trouble! I can't think anymore."

"Well, we'll wait until he leaves then," Mizuki suggested. "If he invited you, he should have some plan about that. He doesn't seem like the type of person to randomly forget a promise like that. You could still come along, but wait on the ship until he leaves."

Ace grinned, glad to have her there. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have thought of that and just tried to persuade his little brother to come. "Luffy, do you think you can get the Pirate Empress to give us a ride?"

"Maybe," he said, sighing. Walking over to where Raleigh was talking with Hancock, he loudly asked her. "Hancock, can you give us a ride to an island in the New World? We got an invitation to something there! Please?"

Boa nearly fainted, then regained her calmness. "Of course, Luffy! If it's for you, I'd sail to the very end of the Grand Line!" Turning to her sisters, she ordered them to get the ship ready. They left shortly after sunset.

Two days later, Shanks stood over a freshly dug grave and lifted the carved wood coffin they had gotten down into it. Yuki, in a pale green dress, lay in the smooth wooden box in the deep hole. Everyone had watched it. No one could believe it.

It was strange, a feeling like none they had ever experienced washed over them, leaving them empty. It was hollow, and depressing, but not one person knew how to react to such an alien feeling.

After stepping back, Shanks motioned for Ace to come forward. There were no tears in his eyes, they had all been spilled the day before. Now, it was just that feeling, and a feeling of peacefulness, that grasped him.

"My sister and friend," he began, slowly closing his eyes. "You did so much for us, the people you left behind. We miss you, but it's impossible to change what happened. I give you my thanks, from the bottom of my heart. Gratitude, and apologies for everything I might've been able to do to save you."

Shanks stepped up, smiling warmly. Few of his crew had seen him smile like that, and it accompanied the alien feeling better than anyone expected. It was more than just a smile, but a farewell to her.

"I met you when you were little," Shanks started," and I thought you were the funniest little girl I had ever met. You were clever, and you could fight well. When I offered to teach you the way of the sword, you readily accepted. Little did I know it would lead to me possessing the gift I left you with so long ago. Thank you for being in my life, Yuki."

After a few minutes, Shanks and his crew left after saying their farewells to the dead pirate, Whitebeard, and Mizuki led Luffy out to his sister's grave. It had been filled in, so he missed the happy expression she had died with.

Kneeling on the ground, Luffy touched the grave's dirt with one hand, the other held to his heart. Tears came, finally, and he sat in silence for what felt like hours. The only thing that existed to him in those moments was her grave.

Pulling back his hand, he stood. "Yuki... thank you."

_**The End**_

**Feel free to write other fan fictions based on this one! I would really love to read them all, it would be cool.**


End file.
